Leading Light
by axilya
Summary: Lu Xun fell down a cliff and the officers lamented his death. But he was saved by a hermit and the officers of Wu had their hands full when he brought her back. She is not human but they don't know that yet. Pairings will be centered on her w LX or LT
1. Chapter 1: Lost At War

**Leading Light:**

_Leading Light_, is a story based loosely on Romance of the Three Kingdom (ROTK) and the Dynasty Warriors game series produced by Koei. It will hardly be historically correct though I'll try to follow the actual events. I'm an avid lover of the games and this is my first approach writing a fanfiction on that.

The story takes place in the Kingdom of Wu.

That being said, I hope you enjoy this story, and tell me what you think of it.

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**Chapter 1 : Lost At War**

Lu Xun's screams could be heard over the deafening noise of war drums beating and weapons slashing against shields as Wu and bandits led by their bandit chief, You Tu, met in a fierce battle in Poyang. His horse was out of control after a stray arrow shot him in arm and the heading to the cliff.

"Lu Xun!" Lu Meng's anguish voice shouted as he urged his horse forward to rescue the young strategist but could only watched as Lu Xun's horse fell together with its rider into the deep waters of Lake Poyang.

"Oh Gods! No!" Shang Xiang rode next to Lu Meng, having witness the horrible scene. She buried her face into her hands and wept.

Lu Meng petted the girl's shoulders and tried to console her while wiping tears from his own eyes with his sleeve.

The battle was over; Gan Ning slew You Tu. The remaining bandits ran for their lives after seeing their chief dead.

Gan Ning paraded along the battlefield, holding up the head of You Tu and the soldiers of Wu cheered. Morale of the army was high and they waited for their leading commander, Lu Xun to address them, only that he did not appear after several moments. Gan Ning looked around, puzzled until a messenger from Lu Meng informed him of Lu Xun's passing. The former pirate dropped the bloody package he was holding, his jaw wide open and he got down from his horse in a flash and held the unfortunate messenger up by his collar, letting his feet dangled a foot above ground and ordered him to repeat the message.

The messenger was so frightened that the words came out barely audible. "Lord Lu Xun...gone... fell down the cliff... He was shot." He mumbled incoherently.

Gan Ning did not react for a while, when he realized he still had the frightened man by his collar, the former pirate dropped him and glanced at his men. Their heads hung low and some were weeping.

The general let out a string of curses so colorful that the men nearest to him winced.

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Back at the main camp, Sun Quan stood in disbelief, too shocked to dismiss the messenger that had reported Lu Xun's demise. Tears did not come immediately to him as he stared blankly, unable to accept the bad news but unable to dismiss it either. It was a few moments later, the ruler of Wu sank down in his throne, eyes blinking back tears and lamented. "He was so young and talented."

His bodyguard, Zhou Tai approached the young ruler and bowed. He turned to the waiting messenger and asked. "Did anyone find his body?"

The messenger shook his head before he bowed low and answered. "No, milord. The cliff was very treacherous and it took half a day before the men managed to descend to the bottom, they were unable to find any traces of Lord Lu Xun or his horse. It was agreed that he must have drown."

"Give my orders, search the area again. He is not dead until I see his corpse." With an impatient wave of his hand, Sun Quan dismissed the messenger and he scrambled away. "I can't believe Boyan's dead." he said in a soft tone to Zhou Tai.

The bodyguard nodded.

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Zhou Yu sighed and coughed; he had been sick for the last ten-day with a persistent cold. He was feeling slightly better but he could not make it in condition to lead the battle. He had recommended his best student Lu Xun as the strategist for this battle in his place. "I shouldn't have send Boyan... I sent him to his untimely death." The swordsman sneezed and rubbed his already-sore nose.

Xiao Qiao handed him a kerchief which Zhou Yu took gratefully. "I feel so awful, Boyan was always good company." His wife added, sniffing and starting to cry again.

Zhou Yu put his arms around his wife and consoled her. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have sent him in my place. I should have at least been there with him on his first battle."

Xiao's hazel eyes looked up and met his dark gaze. "No, Zhou Yu. It's not your fault. I hate the wars."

A knock on the door interrupted the couple; a servant entered the room carrying a bowl of foul-smelling, dark herbal liquid on a tray. "Milord, your medicine is ready and Lord Sun Quan sent an invitation to you to attend the welcome banquet for our triumph army. Would you be attending?"

Zhou Yu considered the invitation and gestured for the servant to leave his medicine at the table. He looked at his wife who wrinkled her nose in disgust as the servant passed her with the medicine. Propriety demands that he attend the event though the swordsman knew his lord would not be offended if he declined to attend with his illness. However he wanted to find out for himself the happenings of the battle and more specifically, how Lu Xun died.

"I will attend. Prepare the carriage." He instructed the servant and dismissed him. Looking at the bowl, he inhaled a deep breathe and drank it quickly.

Xiao Qiao made a gagging sound and when she caught the strategist's eye, she stuck out her tongue at him. "That medicine smells funny. How can you drink it?"

"Do I have a choice, Xiao Qiao? I need to get better soon and good medicine always taste and smell horrible." he said, pouring himself a cup of tea to wash down the lingering bitter taste in his mouth.

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The banquet was quiet and solemn. Usually such banquets were always noisy and filled with entertainment; they would have dancers and singers as well as a wide spread feast but this time there were no dancers or music though the feast remained. Sun Quan looked at his generals occupying the seats along both sides of the room and most of them were drinking wine quietly. No one was making merry. Even Gan Ning was quiet, which was a very rare thing.

He cleared his throat noisily and all eyes turned to look at the ruler. "Well, good work on the battle." he started and lifted up his wine cup. "A toast for our victory."

The generals hesitated before lifting their wine cups and offered a toast to their lord. "A toast for our victory" they repeated and drained their cups. Silence resumed.

Sun Quan sighed loudly and decided to bring on the topic that was on everyone's mind. "Tell me how Lu Xun died."

It was Lu Meng who answered his lord. "Xun was leading the vanguard from the left when they met the enemy's vanguard who was advancing in the same direction. A fight resulted and both sides suffered causalities but Boyan was quick-thinking. He sent a smaller group to cut off the enemy's escape route from behind and then set the surrounding forest in flames, trapping the enemies and scoring a sound victory. But amidst the chaos, a volley of arrows appeared and one hit his horse and another hit Boyan in the arm. The soldiers started to panic, screaming and dashing blindly, scaring Boyan's horse and before he could pull out the arrow in his arm or do anything else, the mare started dashing blindly out of the forest, heading towards the cliff." The spear-wielder paused and sniffed back tears.

"It happened so fast. I was nearest to him but I didn't reach him in time... He fell, with his horse... off the cliff." the general croaked, his voice breaking.

"We never found his body." Gan Ning continued after Lu Meng was visibly too upset to speak. "We searched the area for the whole day but all we found was one of his twin blades, lodged between the branches in a tree. The sword most likely dropped on his way down."

"Poor boy, he was so young." The rusty voice of Huang Gai commented.

"Damn." was all Ling Tong said as he drained the wine in his cup, poured another from the jug on his table and gulped it down, looking very miserable.

"Boyan was a very intelligent and sincere person. He was well-liked and popular with everyone in Wu. He would have make a great strategist and contribute greatly to Wu." Zhou Yu's solemn voice paused and he turned to Sun Quan. "His death is a great loss to the Kingdom of Wu. I should not have sent him in my place. I am sorry, milord."

"No, it's my fault. It was his first battle and I should not have let him lead the vanguard." Lu Meng interrupted.

Sun Quan shook his head. "It is not your fault, Zhou Yu." Turning to a miserable looking Lu Meng, the ruler replied. "It is not your fault either, Lu Meng. I know Lu Xun's eagerness; it would have been difficult to refuse him. Besides, you were with him, right?"

The general nodded in response. The ruler sighed, his shoulders sank lower.

"I hereby conveyed the rank of Colonel to Lu Xun of Wu for his accomplishments. His title will be Colonel Who Settles Majesty." Sun Quan announced, lifting his wine cup again, but this time instead of draining it, he poured the wine on the ground, in a straight motion so that there was a line of water on the floor. It was custom to offer wine to the dead by pouring it on the ground.

The generals followed suit.


	2. Chapter 2: Ning Xue

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**Chapter 2: Ning Xue**

A white fox looked hungrily at an unaware hare that was busy eating. It advanced quietly and slowly at its prey, pausing when the hare stopped eating and scanned around. The hare resumed attacking the shoot it was chewing, unaware of danger lurking near it. The vixen jumped and its sharp teeth clamped sharp at the hare's neck, only dropping it after its prey stopped struggling. Holding the dead hare by its neck, the fox ran towards its den.

As it ran, its nose caught the metallic smell of fresh blood. It was not from the hare it was holding. Curious, it scanned the surroundings and saw something bright and sparkling nearby. The vixen made its way and saw a blade reflecting the sun's ray. Next to the blade, laid a man dressed in gold and red. He was unconscious and looked seriously wounded. The vixen cocked its head curiously, and sniffed the man cautiously. Using a paw, it touched the man and found his skin warm but he did not move.

After making sure the man was truly unconscious, the fox retreated a few steps from the human. The vixen shook and took on the shape of a young human girl and squatted besides the man. She looked curiously at him and wondered if she should bring him home. "Do not talk to humans. Do not bring them home. Do not befriend them and do not harm them." she murmured to herself, her grandmother's last words. "I should heed granny's advice."

The girl got up and was about to leave the man to his fate when he moved. The human moaned in pain and whispered something incoherent but he did not wake up. As he stirred, the girl saw fresh blood seeping through his wound on the arm. "If I don't save him, he'll die. Granny said not to harm them, right?" The girl muttered, scratching her head in confusion. She looked at the man and sighed finally. "Oh whatever."

She tied the hare to her sash, picked up the sword and lifted the man easily in her strong arms.

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Lu Xun blinked his eyes and stirred; a sharp pain in his left arm assured him he was still alive and feeling a throbbing headache forming at his temples. As he gradually became aware of his surroundings, he found himself alone in a large room, lying on a rather comfortable couch. A thick woollen blanket covered him. His arm was bandaged and when he tried to get up, his ribs groaned in protest. The blanket slipped and the man found himself half-naked, bandages on his chest, leg and left arm. He slowly move his uninjured arm and let his fingers massaged his temples, trying to sooth the daze and headache away.

Since he was unable to move much, he scanned his surroundings. The room was cozy but not decorated elaborately. A small fire in the fireplace provided him warmth. Hanging above the fireplace, he saw one of his blades. As he looked around for the missing pair, and suddenly remembered it was stuck in one of the trees that broke his fall. A small table was placed in the middle of the room, besides it was his clothes neatly folded into a pile.

"Oh good. You're awake." a sweet melodious voice said. Lu Xun turned to see a girl carrying a tray at the door. She smiled curiously at him and put the tray on the table. She was dressed in simple white attire and her hair was partially plaited into several small plaits over her crown, fastened with several small pretty ribbons. Lu Xun noticed the girl was tall, almost as tall as he is and she looked like she had not seen more than fifteen winters. He blushed when she winked at him with a mischievous grin on her face. It was then he noticed her eyes were not black. He looked carefully as she approached him and found they were of a dark blue hue.

"Well, stare enough yet, human?" she said in a teasing tone. Lu Xun realized her eyes twinkled whenever she smiled.

The strategist blushed furiously and looked away quickly, embarrassed.

The girl giggled and sat down besides Lu Xun on the bed, who blushed even more at the nearest to a female. He shifted away from the girl on reflex; it was improper to be so close to a girl who's not one's wife. Then he suddenly remembered he was half naked. Immediately he reached for the fallen blanket, wincing when he felt sharp pain from his ribs and arm.

"Don't move or you'll tear your wound. I took a long time to clean up all that blood." she chastised lightly and grabbed his arm lightly, removing the bandage.

"I... um..." he pointed at the blanket, feeling all his blood rushing onto his face.

"Oh, are you cold? I thought the room was warm enough..." the girl tilted her head in confusion but she picked up the blanket and covered the strategist.

"Thanks." Lu Xun muttered gratefully. "What's your name?" he asked softly.

"Ning Xue. You can call me Xue-er if you like." the girl tore her attention away from his arm and replied cheerfully, looking the man in the eyes and still holding the strategist's arm in her hands.

"Xue-er." Lu Xun repeated, feeling the syllabus rolled off his tongue. He gazed into her dark eyes and smiled. "That's a beautiful name. Xue as in snow?"

Ning Xue smiled and nodded. "Yes, granny said I was white as snow so she gave me that name."

Lu Xun nodded, indeed the girl was very fair; she was almost snow white and her black hair contrasted sharply against her porcelain skin. "You live with your grandmother?"

The girl frowned and thought for a moment before she replied quietly. "No, granny died a few years ago. She had gone to be the other world." She unrolled a new bandage.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You live alone?" he asked kindly.

"Yes." came her quiet reply.

Lu Xun looked around, it was quiet and he could hear the birds chirping. "Where am I?"

"You're in my hut." Ning Xue paused to bind the strategist's wound. "Deep in the forest. I found you near the lake, dying." she added.

"Xue-er, you have my deepest gratitude. I'm so sorry to cause you trouble." he said sincerely.

Ning Xue met his gaze and grinned. "It's not a problem. Granny always said I must help others."

"Your granny must be a very kind lady." he commented. "How old are you?"

The girl held up five eager fingers to the strategist in response.

The scholar looked puzzled before he nodded his head. "Fifteen? So young and alone in the forest... It must be hard on you." Lu Xun sighed, as he looked kindly at the girl.

Ning Xue grinned brightly and shook her head. "Five hundred." she said.

Lu Xun chuckled, feeling his headache lifting. "How can you be five hundred years old?"

The girl frowned and looked alarmed for an instant and her hold on the strategist's arm tightened suddenly.

"Ow!" he winced.

"Oops, sorry." she offered an apologetic look. "Yeah, you caught me. I'm fifteen." she replied, her eyes clouded for a moment.

The scholar smiled and nodded, not suspecting anything amiss.

"There, I've cleaned the wound and bandaged it. I'll go get you some food, take a rest first." she tugged his arm gently underneath the blanket and placed the old crimson-colored bandages on her tray and left the room.

Lu Xun looked at her retreating shadow and fell asleep listening to the birds chirping outside.


	3. Chapter 3: Conflicts

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**Chapter 3: Conflicts**

Ning Xue frowned as her hand felt the scorching heat on the strategist's forehead; the Wu officer was running a temperature, a sign that his wounds had been infected. She soaked a cloth in a basin of cool water, squeezed it dry and placed it on the unconscious man's forehead. He had been getting better but had caught a chill from the cold autumn winds a day before when he limped out of the hut.

The girl felt so guilty. "What did I tell you, Xue-er? Not to bring a man home..." In her mind, she could hear her granny chastising her for bringing a man home. She winced and lightly slapped herself as a form of punishment for disobeying her mentor's wishes.

The young man stirred in his sleep, mumbled something in his slumber that Ning Xue could not quite apprehend. His hands grabbed hers and the girl winced at his cold touch. She looked at him and found his face flushed from the fever and shivering. The girl got up and threw more firewood into the fireplace. She glanced out of the window. It was chilly, she could hear the strong winds howling, the branches of the old oak tree tapping lightly against the window.

Lu Xun shifted again; Ning Xue returned her attention to the sick man and found him curled into a ball, shivering in cold as the fever raged and weakened his body. The girl sighed and wondered if she had brought on more suffering on the man. Leaving him to his fate where she found him, would had grant him a swift and almost painless death but letting him circum to the illness would be a worse torment. She walked towards the bed and lay down besides him, and pulled him close to her in an embrace. At the same time, the Wu officer having found a new source of heat, shifted and buried his face into her chest where it was the warmest and slid his arms around her, still deep in his slumber, drawing on her body warmth.

Ning Xue shrugged and held the strategist in her arms. She could heal him with magic, but it would come at a price - some years off her spiritual cultivation, depending on how much magic was required. She was not prepared to do that, however. It was incredibly difficult to attain her level of cultivation where she could take on the shape of a human. It had taken her five hundred years. It was too great a price to pay, even though she had the desire to help him. "Well, if he's that cold, I guess I can share my body heat with him." she mused, letting herself fall asleep as she listened to the tapping of the oak tree against the window.

_A few hours later._

Lu Xun opened his eyes and found himself staring at the sleeping face of Ning Xue. His eyes ducted downwards and saw the girl held him in her arms, his legs still entwined over hers. Alarmed and embarrassed, he quickly removed himself from her with such force that he jolted her awake. _Propriety decreed that a man must marry an unmarried girl he slept with and no decent girl would sleep with a man that was not her husband._ He repeated the teachings of Confucius in his mind.

The scholar stared at the girl who was rubbing her eyes, his face blushing furiously. When he caught her eye, Lu Xun snapped. "What are you doing?"

Ning Xue looked curiously at him, not understanding his anger. "What do you mean?"

"Have you no... no shame? You... you... slept with me." he retorted, his cheeks flushing more as he struggled to say the accusing words.

The girl arched back in shock at his angry tone, then she looked confused as she laid one hand to scratch her head. "You were shivering and you seemed to like me besides you. You grabbed me before I do anything." she replied innocently.

"What? I grabbed you?" Lu Xun repeated, his voice raised and then suddenly, he smacked himself hard on his cheeks. The girl widened her eyes in surprise and she curiously traced the red palm mark on his jade-smooth face but the scholar angrily swapped her hand away.

Ning Xue looked hurt though she remained quiet, her eyes observing Lu Xun's irrational behavior.

"Did I do anything to you?" Feeling guilty at his outburst, Lu Xun's voice mellowed down. His dark eyes met her blue ones.

"Yeah, you put your head in my chest." she replied cheerfully, glad that he was talking to her gently again.

Lu Xun groaned and smacked his forehead, lighter this time. "Oh no... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to take advantage of you. I swear on my honor..." he lamented, looking very miserable.

Ning Xue cocked her eyebrow, thoroughly puzzled. "Did we do something wrong?"

The Wu officer rolled his eyes. "Of course. One does not go around putting their heads on a girl's chest. And one who's decent do not lay with men either." he replied in an irritated tone.

"What's a decent one?"

"What? Didn't anyone teach you not to... not to touch a man?" It was the strategist's turn to be surprise.

The girl chewed her lips thoughtfully and after a while, she shook her head. "Nope. Granny says not to bring men home, not to befriend them and not to speak to them. She didn't say anything about not touching them..."

"Your grandmother's wise, you should have heeded her advice." he pointed out curtly.

Ning Xue frowned and rolled her eyes. "Then I would have left you there to die, let the wolves come and dragged you to their den and eat your flesh while you're too weak to fight them off. Or, let you bleed to death. Which one do you prefer?" She retorted, her lips twitching in anger.

Not waiting for his reply, the girl got off the bed and stomped out of the room, slamming the bedroom door behind her. Lu Xun sighed and rubbed his temples, feeling another headache forming.

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Ning Xue sat besides a pond, throwing pebbles near her into the water and watched the ripples. She was still annoyed at the Wu officer, though she was more angry at herself for not heading her mentor's advice. "I shouldn't have bothered to save him." she scolded herself. But her conscience would not let her leave the injured man to his fate. The girl shook her head, rubbing her temples.

"Argh! This is so confusing. Here I am, trying to be more of a human and there I am being so horrible at it. That man nearly caught me in my lies. Granny always told me it was hard being a human but to be one is part of my spiritual Cultivation." She muttered to herself, throwing more pebbles into pond.

"Why is it so hard to be a girl? Are there really so many restrictions? Granny says when I take on the shape of a human, I can do a lot of things..." She pouted her lips and scratched her head.

Her stomach made a loud rumble, reminded her that she had missed her lunch earlier. Ning Xue patted her tummy and groaned. "Alright, we'll go home and eat." she said to no one in particular.

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Ning Xue practiced her swordplay at the backyard. The sword was her chosen weapon and it was no ordinary blade. The sword had seven segments in its blade, each segment could be broken into a small piece of sharp metal, chained together with a thin steel chain that ran through the entire sword length. The girl could separate the segments at will and swing the sword like a whip. When she needed to extend the reach, two more hidden segments could be pushed from the hilt, lengthening the range of the weapon. It was one of the most useful tactics her mentor taught her. The girl wielded the weapon with grace, swinging and slashing in a fluid motion around the practise dummy.

Lu Xun watched in amazement from his window; the girl was slashing with her blade with extraordinary speed and yet she did not once scratch the perfect dummy. The strategist knew it required a very high level of control on the weapon to swing it precisely at the correct angle with the right amount of force to avoid striking the dummy; Ning Xue was practicing controlling her weapon.

The girl turned towards his direction and their eyes met. Lu Xun managed a small smile and was glad she returned it; their argument earlier forgotten. He watched the girl walked towards the backdoor and turned expectantly to the bedroom door, anticipating her to knock soon. He did not have to wait long as the girl entered the room, carrying a tray of food and a small pot of tea. His stomach growled in response to the aroma of the food. Lu Xun blushed in embarrassment and smiled sheepishly when the girl giggled at the noise; she had heard it.

She set down the tray and stretched her hand to feel his forehead. Lu Xun flinched on reflex at the touch of a girl and saw her frown; she withdrew her hand quickly and muttered an apology. The strategist felt a pang of guilt. "Sorry, I didn't mean to... be rude." he offered.

The girl looked surprise at his apology but she quickly recovered and shook her head. "I'm sorry, if you don't like me to touch you, I'll try to remember not to."

"I'm just not used to a girl touching me but I know you meant well." He smiled in appreciation. "I understand that you do not associate with other people."

Ning Xue raised her eyebrow and looked thoughtful. "I am not used to interacting with _humans_... others... I mean." she caught herself in time and corrected her words.

Lu Xun nodded, not thinking much of her odd choice of words. He looked hungrily at the dishes on the tray, and met her gaze. "Is that for me?" he asked, blushing slightly at his inability to conceal his eagerness at the sight of food.

The girl grinned brightly and nodded. Lu Xun saw her eyes twinkled and he flashed a wide smile. He sat down on the cushion and started eating. The girl sat besides him and poured him some tea from the teapot. The strategist nodded his thanks.

"Xue-er, I'm very grateful to you for taking care of me and saving my life." he said after satisfying his hunger.

"It's no trouble at all. I'm happy to have someone to talk to. Usually I can only talk to the birds and plants." she smiled.

Lu Xun felt sorry for the girl. "You can talk to me anytime... I don't even mind you touching me." he heard himself said and was surprised at his words.

"Really?" her eyes widened in excitement and she leaned closer to him, grinning mischievously.

The Wu officer shifted a little, but he smiled and nodded. "Um.. just don't sleep besides me again... It's not proper." he added.

The girl sank back on her cushion and pouted her lips. "Oh? Why is it not proper?"

"Because we're not married." he pointed out.

"Why do we have to be married to sleep together? I like sleeping besides you, you're so comfortable to hug." she laughed.

Lu Xun's felt his cheeks burned as his blood rushed to his face at her blunt words. He avoided her eyes and stared down, feigning a sudden interest at the wooden floor. He looked up to meet her concerned gaze when she poked him lightly. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

"Yes. I... um..." he was interrupted when she touched his forehead again.

This time the strategist didn't flinch. He stilled himself and allowed her to feel his temperature, only shifted uncomfortably when she cupped his face, and slid her hands to his neck.

"Hmm... The fever's gone but why is your face so red?" she murmured to herself, cocking her head in mild confusion.

Lu Xun chuckled despite feeling awkward. _She's funny and so innocent, untouched by the world._ he thought to himself.

"Hey, you never told me your name..." she said suddenly.

Lu Xun raised his eyebrow. "I didn't tell you?"

The girl shook her head.

"My name is Lu Xun, my friends call me Boyan. You may call me either."

"Lu Xun, nice name..." she grinned and continued. "I will call you Xun."

The strategist nodded his head. "If you like."

She flashed a toothy smile, showing him her perfect set of white teeth and rolled up his sleeve. The Wu officer looked curiously as the his bandaged arm was revealed. The girl untied the knot on the bandages and unwrapped his arm gently, taking care not to hurt his wound. She removed a vial from a cupboard and poured some of the white powder on the partially healed arrow wound.

"Thank you." Lu Xun said gratefully after the girl bandaged his arm.

"The arm's healing quite well. You should be able to use it in another couple of days."

"Yes. I should return home soon. My family and friends will be worried sick or they would be devastated thinking I'm dead." Lu Xun frowned; he had not thought of his family the last few days he was here.

"You're leaving so soon?" she asked softly, looking at him pleadingly, her hands reached for his and held it tightly.

The strategist winced and nodded. "Yes, I have duties to attend to." he replied reluctantly.

"Oh..." she replied simply and looked very depressed at his impending departure. She relaxed her grip on his hands.

Lu Xun sighed; he did not like seeing his savior sad. Moreover, after the 'sleeping' incident, he felt responsible to the girl. An idea came to his mind; "Why don't you come with me?"

Ning Xue's blue eyes widened in delight, she smiled brightly and leaned close to him. "Can I?" she asked, unable to believe what she had heard.

The strategist considered his invitation. He knew he would feel bad if he left the girl to herself in the forest, even though she had spent her last fifteen years there. He looked into her excited face; she was looking expectantly at him and he would really hate to disappoint her. Finally he nodded and she jumped up from her seat and cheered happily.

The Wu officer chuckled; her happiness was contagious. Before he realised it, the girl came close to him, leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheeks; her soft long hair brushed against his face, igniting an impulse on his skin. His cheeks turned crimson in an instant and his heart beat wildly, yet his brain flashed alarm and he pushed her away unwittedly, with a little too much force.

He winced when he saw he had pushed the girl onto the floor; she got up and rubbed her sore elbow, her brows knead together into a frown and glared at him angrily.

"I'm sorry, Xue-er." he moved closer to the angry girl and reached for her injured arm. His fingers touched her smooth ivory skin but she promptly moved her arm away from him.

"Forgive me, Xue-er. I didn't mean to push you." he apologized softly, hoping to calm her anger.

"You are so mean, Lu Xun. Am I that detestable?" she yelled at him, moving herself a few steps away from the man who had hurt her.

Lu Xun winced again; he cursed himself for overreacting. "No, Xue-er. You're very adorable and beautiful. I enjoyed our conversations and watching you practise your sword."

Ning Xue's frown faded. "Then why do you keep pushing me away? I don't understand you. I thought you liked me."

"I do like you. " he insisted. "It's just that your touch makes me jump."

The girl raised her eyebrow and swept away her bangs. She looked at the officer, confused. "I made you jump?"

"Yes." he replied quietly, offering no further explainations.

"What do you mean? Do my touch hurt you?" she asked, wearing a sudden expression of fear on her face.

"No, no. You don't hurt me..." he frowned, trying to think of the right vocabulary to put his thoughts into words. "I mean... my body reacts to your touch involuntarily... without me being consciously aware. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The girl looked more confused; her lips pouted and she looked thoughtful, trying to digest the strategist's words. "Do you like it?"

Lu Xun stared at her speechless and felt his cheeks colored again. He was not used to constantly being so embarrassed by a girl. He studied her for any signs of mockery but found none, not that he expected to find any either. His blush deepened as he considered her question. He inhaled deeply and shrugged; He certainly do not feel repulsive but the thought of admitting he liked it was so scandalous that he could not bring himself to nod his head.

"So you don't like it?" she probed further.

His lips twitched at her insistence but he said nothing.

"Come on, tell me, please." she fluttered her long eyelashes at him and looked pleadingly.

"Why do you want to know so much?" he asked, slightly irritated at her probing.

Ning Xue grinned and replied without hesitation. "Because I like to touch you."

Lu Xun smacked his forehead and groaned. He should have expected her to say something outrageous.

"Tell me." she clinged onto his sleeve and tugged at it.

Realising there was no way to avoid answering, Lu Xun finally murmumed softly and buried his crimson-colored face in his hands. "Yes, I like it."

Ning Xue's response was a warm, hearty laugh.


	4. Chapter 4: Fox Spirits

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : Thanks so much for your review. I'm so glad you like it. Yeah, Ning Xue's like an innocent child but she'll grow up as the story progress.

Blizzard209: Thank you, I like Cao Pi too. Koei made him really cool, like a sexy beast.

**Notes:**

I wish I have more reviews because feedback really helps me get this story going. I'm not quite sure how the current storyline sits with the readers. If you like it, please tell me and if you hate it, I want to know why too, so I can improve on it.

The sub-plot in this new chapter is borrowed from one of the episodes in the show 'Lotus Lantern', because it provides me the perfect opportunity to torment Lu Xun further. hehe, just a little bit more. This chapter will also be the last one I'll post in a while, as I'm going off for vacation.

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**Chapter 4: Fox Spirits**

Lu Xun and Ning Xue arrived at Hu Ling, a small town along the Chang Jiang. Lu Xun couldn't help a smile as he watched the excited girl browsed through the different stalls in the busy marketplace, hopping around and asking the sellers so many questions that some rolled their eyes and ignored her. He placed his hand on her shoulders and she turned towards him. "Shall we go eat something?"

She beamed and nodded enthusiastically.

On their way there, the friends heard a commotion and Ning Xue was so curious that she dragged Lu Xun to the scene and watched an older woman beating a young girl, calling her vixen, a fox spirit and other unpleasant names. The poor girl was weeping and trying to shield herself with her scrawny hands from the abuse. Ning Xue frowned angrily and was able to intervene when Lu Xun pulled her back.

"Why did you stop me? That girl's so pitiful." she asked, frowning.

"Didn't you hear the older woman calling her a vixen?" The strategist replied.

"Yes, but what does that mean? Does it mean she's really a fox spirit?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Of course not. It means that the girl is a loose and indecent female. It's a bad thing to be called a fox spirit." he explained patiently.

Ning Xue's jaw dropped and her eyes widened in shock. "Do you hate fox spirits?" she asked in a wary tone.

The Wu officer nodded. "Everyone hates fox spirits. They are evil and cunning, always breaking people's families and up to no good. But there is no such thing as a fox spirit. Those are just myths."

Lu Xun felt a sting on his cheek and his hand instantly went to touch that sore cheek, shocked that Ning Xue slapped him. She glared at him, hurt and angry at the same time and ran off, leaving the strategist standing in the middle of the busy street.

It took a while before the strategist recovered from the shock and went after the girl, but she was nowhere in sight. He searched frantically along the busy streets, looking for Ning Xue. He asked around anxiously, worried that the innocent girl might get into trouble, but no one had seemed her.

Tired and hungry, the strategist rested in a corner. His eyes scanning the streets for any signs of the girl. He looked up and realized to his dismay, the sun was setting fast, soon the streets will be deserted and it would be very dangerous for a girl to be alone and lost. Frantically, he decided to search the streets again, calling her name and hoping to hear a response.

At nightfall, the marketplace became deserted as the sellers packed up for the day. Only the restaurants and certain shops that specialized in night business were opened... Lu Xun wiped his wet brow and walked aimlessly around the town square. He was tired and his feet were sore.

"I heard that the Moonlight Lounge has a new girl. She's very beautiful and was still a virgin. Everyone's bidding for her first night. It seems that she was from some forest village in Poyong." A passer-by told his companion excitedly as they walked pass the Wu officer.

Lu Xun's ears picked up the conversation and the passerby's description fitted Ning Xue. _Moonlight Lounge, a brothel? Oh no._ He picked up his pace and hurried to a brightly-lit building and found a long queue of men outside, all waiting to see the _new_ girl.

He hesistated for a moment, worried that if someone saw him in a brothel, it would be disastrous to his reputation. His conscience demanded that he checked it out at least, to make sure the new girl was not Ning Xue. Taking a deep breath, he pushed his way into the main hall and saw several people raising their hands, bidding for the new girl's first night. He glanced up on the stairs, and saw Ning Xue standing next to the brothel madam who was laughing greedily at the offered bids.

"Oh no! Foolish girl." he sighed as he made his way through the branch of lechers towards her. "Xue-er, have you any idea where you are?" he cried when he got near her.

The girl took one glance at him and looked away, still angry at his unintentional insults earlier. A bouncer barred his way, giving him a warning look. Lu Xun gripped his saber in response; he was prepared to fight his way to save the girl.

"Foolish girl! Come with me." he stretched the other hand to the girl who ignored him, much to his frustration. The bouncer pushed him back roughly and glared at him. Lu Xun was absolutely vivid and he stood defiantly against the larger man who was cracking his knuckles and threatening to beat him up if he did not leave the building. Furious from all the frustration and fatigue, the strategist did not have the patience to negotiate his way out of the situation; he angrily stomped on the bouncer's foot and elbowed him away.

The bouncer whistled and several men surrounded the strategist. The brothel customers quickly scrambled away, not wanting to be caught in a brawl. The madam frantically ushered the last highest bidder up the stairs to seal the deal; she was not going to lose a good deal because of a fight in her premises.

Lu Xun dodged nimbly and threw his fist into one man's face, breaking his nose into a bloody mess. Several bouncers tried to grab him but the strategist avoided their grapple, kicking the men and punching them away from him. A bouncer drew a dagger and tried to stab him from the behind but he dropped the weapon when he received a sharp kick to his wrist. Lu Xun turned around and saw Ning Xue scorned at the men.

"Nobody may hurt my Xun." she hissed angrily. There was power in her words, and the lesser men backed off. The strategist raised an eye brow at her claim on him, but seeing there was an opening out of the crowd, Lu Xun grabbed the girl's wrist and ran out of the hostile place.

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Lu Xun stopped to catch his breath; He caught the girl's eye and found her grinning. "Xue-er, Why did you run away?" he asked and saw the girl frowned.

"You insulted me." she pointed out and looked away.

"I didn't." The Wu officer walked in front of her and looked her in the eye.

"Yes, you said I'm evil and cunning, and up to no good." she pouted her lips and her frown deepened.

"I did not, I was referring to fox spirits, not you." he tilted his head, puzzled.

Ning Xue's muscles tensed instantly. She tried to keep her face straight as she realized her peril. Searching her mind frantically for a way out of the mess, she turned her face away from the strategist to avoid his gaze. _Quickly, Xue-er. Think of something to say._ she felt herself panicking but willed the anguish aside. Finally she decided to laugh her way out and winced when it came out a little too forcefully.

Lu Xun looked even more confused, so she said. "I thought you were scolding me."

It was Lu Xun's turn to pout, _nearly_. Ning Xue started to chuckle genuinely at his funny expression. The strategist stared at her dumbfounded but joined her after a brief moment.

"You foolish girl. Don't run away from me again, ever." he said seriously, grabbing her arms to face him.

Ning Xue flashed a wide grin and she nodded. Suddenly, she remembered she had slapped him earlier, and felt a pang of guilt. Looking at his smooth visage, she could still see a faint bruise on his left cheek. She placed her hand on his cheek and caressed it, hoping to sooth away the damage. She felt Lu Xun's muscles tensed at her touch and he looked at her, with a strange expression. He placed his hand on his face, on top of her fingers and grasped it.

Ning Xue smiled; her fingers felt good and protected in his warm hands. He was still staring at her; she thought his brown eyes were beautiful underneath the moonlight, the light reflecting from them. She felt an urge to kiss him. As she started to lean towards him, he blinked, breaking the gaze between them.

The officer took her hand in his and walked towards an inn. "Have you any idea what would happen to you if I didn't find you in time?" he asked casually, not looking back at her.

She shook her head and shrugged.

Lu Xun halted his steps and turned to look at her, with a serious expression. "You would have to sleep with a man." he said, not hiding the disgust look on his face.

"Is that bad? I slept with you too." she replied, oblivious to the meaning in the strategist's words.

He rolled his eyes. "That's different, Xue-er. We didn't do anything."

"We slept." she said.

Lu Xun laughed and he nodded his head. "Yes, we slept, that's all we did."

Ning Xue stared at him, confused.

The strategist sighed; it was going to be another awkward explanation. "If you spend the night in a brothel with a man, he would do ... um... something, other than sleeping with you." he felt his cheeks colored.

"Do what?"

The Wu officer groaned and sighed; he had anticipated the question though he dreaded answering it. "He would... undress you and touched you all over and... and..." he blushed furiously, unable to continue.

"And what?" came the expected question.

Lu Xun bit his lips as he struggled to find suitable words.

"And what?" Ning Xue repeated, her hand tugging at his sleeve, demanding an answer.

"And violate you." The strategist replied. Before the girl could say a word, he continued. "No more questions. If we don't move, the inn will close and we'll have to sleep on the streets."


	5. Chapter 5: Mischief

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : Absolutely, hehe. Ning Xue's still quite innocent. :p

Blizzard209: Yeah, Lu Xun just kept messing stuff up, doesn't he. hehe.

bluestarryskies: I understand what you mean and do try to specify who's speaking their dialogue where possible. It gets a bit more complicated to write dialogues when you have more than two people conversing. Will it be Ning Xue x Lu Xun or Ling Tong? I haven't decided that yet, right now Lu Xun has a headstart but in this new chapter, Ling Tong appears, so that's where all the fun begans, hopefully.

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**Chapter 5: Mischief**

"L...Lord... Ghost... Yikes!" the guards at the palace gates struggled to keep their legs from shaking as they stared in fright at the sight of Lu Xun and Ning Xue.

"Be at ease, soldier. I am not yet dead." The strategist approached and patted one nervous guard on the shoulder.

The guard immediately straightened his back and nodded vigorously, staring at Lu Xun in awe. "Y...Yes, milord. We... We had your funeral." he managed to stammer.

Lu Xun winced; it had been two months since he went missing. He briefly turned his attention to the girl behind him, and returned his gaze to the guards. "This lady is my benefactor and I wish to seek an audience with Lord Sun Quan. Please convey my request."

The guards bowed respectfully and one of them opened the gates for them, while the other hurried to pass the message to the ruler.

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Standing before the majestic doors to Sun Quan's audience chambers, Lu Xun halted his footsteps and turned to Ning Xue who had surprisingly been silent since they entered the palace. She glanced curiously around but obediently followed the strategist, as they were led along the winding corridors and pathways, deep into the palace. Ning Xue wondered how anyone could find their way around the massive castle, with every door looking the same and every servants and guards wearing the exact same uniform.

Lu Xun lightly tapped the girl's arm and brought her attention to him. He smiled warmly and instructed. "Xue-er, please wait here for me. I will go speak to the King and you may enter only when you are summoned. Please stay here and do not wander around. Can you do that for me?"

The girl nodded and hugged him, making Lu Xun's cheeks colored; the waiting eunuchs who were holding the door for the strategist, raised their eyebrows at that gesture. The Wu officer removed himself from the girl and entered the chambers; the doors closed behind him.

Ning Xue wandered around the courtyard, bored. Along the pathways were different pots of flowers and a short distance away was a large pond with a small pavillion in the middle. The servants busied themselves with their errands, and the guards stood motionlessly in their positions, not looking at the girl when she stared at them.

Ning Xue was feeling so restless and bored when she caught the scent of something sweet and fragrant. Curiously, she followed the scent and after several winding corridors, she found herself staring at a tray of delicious-looking pastries that must have just got out from the oven; steam rose from the golden crusts and Ning Xue could not help feeling her stomach growled at the sight of food. She thought briefly of the plain buns she had over the last few days and made a sour expression. Without hesitation, she reached her hand for one tempting pastry and promptly withdrew when the heat scalded one finger.

Determined to taste it, she scooped the front layer of her dress to shield her hands, took the puff and sank her teeth into it, savoring the crispness of the pastry and the sweet, fragrant filling. It was gone in a few mouthfuls and the girl reached for a second helping. When she was finally satisfied, she found staring at the last puff on the tray. She wondered how many puffs she had devoured but decided that it did not matter, so she shrugged and was about to reach for that last piece when someone screamed at her from behind.

"Thief! How dare you steal my afternoon snack!" A tall man with a short ponytail ran towards her; His hair was wet from a recent bath and he had a scorn on his face. Within a few quick steps of his long legs, he was next to Ning Xue and with one hand, grabbed her wrist and removed the puff with the other, holding it out of her reach.

"Ouch! That hurts!" Ning Xue grimaced and tried to free her hand but the man's calloused hand was strong.

"I've never seen you before. Who are you and how did you get in? Guards! Intruder!" the man yelled and his grip tightened.

The girl wriggled her hand and her keen nose caught a fresh scent and it was coming from the man. She curiously leaned forward to smell him and murmured. "Hmm, you smell nice."

"What?" the man was caught off guard and arched back a little from the girl.

"I bet you taste good too." she stated. Without waiting for the man to reply, Ning Xue leaned forward to lick the man's cheeks.

He dropped her hand in shocked and instantly touched his face where she had licked him; it was still wet. Before he could react to her actions, the girl snatched the last puff from his other hand and ran off. "Haha, got you." she laughed between bites of the last pastry as she ran.

She did not manage to gain too much distance as the man recovered from his shock and gave chase. Ning Xue was slowed down by the maze of corridors and with her pursuer yelling for guards, in a brief moment she found herself surrounded by hostile guards, pointing their swords at her. She froze.

"Haha, not so cocky now, aren't we?" he teased, wiping his wet bangs from his face. Then remembering what the girl did to his cheeks, he made a face at her and scoffed. "Eww, that was disgusting!"

Ning Xue stuck out her tongue and was about to fight them when a familiar voice commanded, "Stop!"

All eyes turned to the speaker; it was Lu Xun. The man who had pursued Ning Xue gasped in shock, stunned momentarily before he leaped towards the strategist and embraced him. "Boyan. Damn you... I thought you were dead. Damn you... I wasted my tears at your funeral." he cried and laughed at the same time. Lu Xun hugged him back and laughed.

Ning Xue cocked her head, confused at the man's emotional display. After he had calmed down, Lu Xun glanced at her direction with mock anger in his eyes. The girl winced and stuck her tongue out guiltily.

"I'm sorry, Gongji, she's my benefactor, can you do me a favor and forgive her?" Lu Xun turned to the tall man and asked.

The man glanced at Ning Xue from head to toe wearing a serious frown on his face. He looked like he was about to refuse the strategist when he suddenly burst into laughter. "Yeah, whatever, I wasn't really that hungry anyway, besides I would rather have you back than a tray of lotus paste puff." he laughed and winked at the Wu officer, patting him roughly at his back.

_Oh, lotus paste puff, eh? Taste so good._ Ning Xue made a conscious effort to remember the name of the delicious snacks she had eaten. She thought the man had a hearty and warm laugh however she was still annoyed at him for hurting her wrist.

Lu Xun sighed in relief at the man's reply and turned to the girl. "Xue-er, didn't I tell you to wait for me? Why did you wander off?" he chatised.

"Err... well... I was hungry." she whispered, staring at the ground, ashamed. She glanced up when Lu Xun tilted her chin up and met his gaze; it was kind and there was a mischievous grin on his face.

"You'll have to learn to make the lotus paste puffs and make a tray for my friend here, as your punishment and as compensation to him." he announced, keeping his face straight but found himself unable to hold off his grin.

"Err, no thanks, Boyan. I'm afraid she might try to poison me." the tall man chuckled and winked at her.

Ning Xue smiled sheepishly; the thought had crossed her mind, though she was thinking of putting laxative - to cause diarrhea - instead of poison.

"But..." the strategist protested but was cut off by the other man.

"It's just a tray of food, no big deal. Say... what's your friend's name?"

Lu Xun smacked his forehead, having forgotten to introduce them. "This is Ning Xue; she's very skilled with her sword." he said pointing at the girl and patting the taller man on his shoulders, he turned to the girl and said, "This is Ling Tong, one of the youngest general in Wu."

The general raised his eyebrow at the introduction, taking in the girl's tall frame and the sword shelthed at her belt, he finally nodded and smiled warmly at her who returned the smile. Turning to the strategist, he placed an arm over his shoulders and started to walk. "So how did she save you?" he was heard asking Lu Xun. Ning Xue shrugged and followed the two men.


	6. Chapter 6: Banquet

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : Thanks so much for your review. Come to think of it, I wouldn't dare eat Ning Xue's dishes either. lol

Blizzard209: Yeah, indeed. A friendly rivalry simply adds spice to the story, wouldn't it?

WillTheWatcher: Welcome, welcome. I prefer to call her 'pastry-girl' which is Ling Tong's nickname for the girl. Hope you are not disppointed with this new chapter as well. :p

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**Chapter 6: Banquet**

As soon as Lu Xun walked into the banquet room, everything seemed to freeze in time; the officers stopped talking and the servants stared at him, even the dancers stopped their dance. The strategist swallowed hard and managed a nervous smile.

"Ah, there's our Guest of Honor." Sun Quan's deep voice announced, pleased to see the young officer again. The other guests nodded and whispered among themselves. The news of the young officer's return had spread fast; there were people who came to the feast to see him for their own eyes and others were there to hear about the strategist's miraculous escape from death.

"Well, continue... continue with the dance." Sun Quan smiled and gestured for the musicians to resume their music and his subjects to continue their merry-making. "Lu Xun, come here and sit besides me." The ruler pointed at an empty seat.

The Wu officer bowed in respect and approached the offered chair. When he stood just before his lord, he found him smiling and knew his lord was in a good mood. The strategist thought of Ning Xue who was waiting outside; it would be a good opportunity to recommend her. "My lord, I wish to introduce my benefactor to you who happened to be very skilled with _her_ sword. I wish to recommend her to join the army." Lu Xun petitioned in a formal tone to his lord.

Sun Quan's eyebrow rose curiously and he chewed his lips thoughtfully. The strategist held his breath as he hoped sincerely that his lord would give Ning Xue a chance to prove herself. The other alternative he could keep her around would be for her to be a handmaiden and he felt that would be a waste of her skills. Secretly, he grimaced at the thought of Ning Xue as a handmaiden. Her curiosity and clumsiness would get her into troubles, he was certain of that.

The ruler cleared his throat and Lu Xun looked expectantly at him. "Is she waiting outside?" he asked in a dry tone. The strategist nodded. "Send her in then." The Wu ruler replied and signaled to a eunuch besides him. The eunuch quickly announced the summon.

In a few moments, Ning Xue walked into the banquet room. As she approached the strategist, she walked past Ling Tong who nodded briefly at her. She grinned and stuck out her tongue at him, drawing disapproval whispers from the other guests at her uncouthly behavior. Ling Tong winked back mischievously and directed her attention back to the court.

"Xue-er, pay your respects to the Lord." Lu Xun's whisper had an anxious tone and he elbowed lightly the girl to remind her the king was waiting for her to greet him.

Ning Xue looked Sun Quan in the eye and flashed a wide grin. "Hello, king." she said cheerfully. The crowd behind her gasped in shock at her lack of respect.

Lu Xun winced. "My apologies, milord. This is Ning Xue, my benefactor. I'm afraid she's not accustomed to court etiquettes. I had failed to teach her in time." The strategist quickly apologize, bowing low and wiping his brow nervously.

Sun Quan chuckled and waved his hand in a dismissal gesture. "Quite a charming lady." Lu Xun led out his breath in relief.

"You're quite charming yourself, king." Ning Xue laughed in response much to the strategist's dismay.

Lu Xun stared at her with a worried expression and licked his dry lips. _She's really pushing it. _He glanced nervously at his lord and was about to apologize again for her tactlessness when the ruler burst into laughter.

"Ah, well. I've heard that you're a skilled swordswoman. Why don't you spar with one of my generals here? If you're really good, I will give you a rank in the army." Sun Quan suggested, scanning his guests for a suitable candidate.

"I get to spar with someone? Wow, that'll be fun. Let's do it." Ning Xue clapped her hands happily and flashed a toothy smile at the amused ruler.

"I'll spar with her." Ling Tong raised his hand and stood up. The king glanced around and no one protested so he nodded his approval and waved the general to come forward.

"There is only one rule, the first person to score a hit wins this fight. However, don't kill each other." The Wu ruler announced and the two opponents nodded their acceptance.

The tall general removed a strange weapon from his belt and approached Ning Xue. "Well, let's spar, pastry-girl." he winked.

The girl pointed curiously at his weapon. "Is that your weapon?"

"Yeah, it's a Nunchaku. You haven't seen one before, eh?" he smirked. "Well, shall we get on with it?" he added, eager to compare his skills with the girl.

"You're on." Ning Xue replied earnestly.

The dancers bowed to the Wu king and left the room, leaving a wide space for them to spar. The other officers leaned forward in their seats in anticipation. Lu Xun sat down and drank the cup of wine a handmaiden poured. He wiped his brow nervously and analyzed the impending fight. _Ling Tong's fast but Xue-er doesn't know that yet. Her sword looks like an ordinary sword, but I've seen her wield it like a whip with the blade broken into several small pieces; Ling Tong doesn't know that so she can surprise him. I think Xue-er can win this._

Ning Xue drew her sword from her scabbard and waited for Ling Tong to make the first move. She did not have to wait long as the general came running towards her, swinging his weapon at an incredible speed. The swordswoman gasped in surprise at his swiftness and dodged just in time to avoid a hit on her arm. She flipped herself out of range and observed her opponent's moves.

Ling Tong brought forth another attack on her left, flipping his nunchaku at the girl who swayed backwards to avoid the blow. _He's fast, very fast; But his range is short, that's his weakness._ The girl, having analyzed the general's martial arts countered with a quick stab of her sword. The martial artist dodged but the move broke his momentum, leaving his rear wide open. Seizing the chance, Ning Xue pretended to slash at him and Ling Tong quickly brought up his weapon to parry the blow, the girl took the chance and kicked at his legs but the agile general jumped aside narrowing avoided the blow.

He gave her an approving nod and tried to attack her again. Ning Xue smiled and kept herself out of his weapon range, bringing her sword to parry when he got near and jumping out of range again. The tall general frowned in slight frustration, beads of perspiration lined his face. He charged at her, kicking and swinging his weapon. Ning Xue rolled away from Ling Tong, slashing at him to cover her rear.

The fight went on for sometime, the two being quite evenly matched. The guests cheered for Ling Tong much to the girl's annoyance. As the agile general slowed his attacks, Ning Xue knew he was getting tired; it was what she had bid her time for. Her opponent threw a series of swings at her and she dodged nimbly. Then she countered with a quick slash at his thigh; Ling Tong jumped back in time. It was the opening she needed; Ning Xue twisted the hilt of her sword, drawing out two segments of her sword and started to swing her weapon like a whip, the blades broke into several smaller pieces chained by a thin steel chain in the middle. The extra length of her weapon and the unexpected maneuver of her weapon enabled the tip of her blade to connect with cloth, making a neat cut in one of Ling Tong's sleeves.

"Enough." Sun Quan's deep voice commanded and the fight was over. Ling Tong examined his torn sleeve; the cut was precise and what surprised him was her blade did not cut into his flesh. When he met the girl's gaze, his eyes were filled with admiration for her skills. "Very good, I lost this time." he admitted.

"Not bad." someone said from the crowd and Ning Xue turned to see a huge man wearing a grim expression with his arms folded across his chest. He nodded at her when he noticed her looking at him.

"Such amazing control over her weapon." A man with a soft voice complimented. Ning Xue looked towards the voice and saw a man with long brown hair and a fair smooth face. She thought he must be the most handsome man she had ever seen and could not help staring at him. The man twitched his lips in irritation and his onyx eyes refused to meet her gaze.

"Very well, you have proven your skill to me. Who shall I place you under?" Sun Quan asked, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on his table.

"Milord, if I may request for Ning Xue to be placed in my unit." Lu Xun stood up and bowed to his lord.

"Milord, place her in my unit. I would like to train with her." Ling Tong requested, much to everyone's surprise.

"Hmm..." the Wu ruler said, considering both requests. Turning to the handsome general, Sun Quan asked. "Zhou Yu, what do you think?"

The general looked thoughtful for a moment, he rose from his seat and replied. "Lord Sun Quan, it is my recommendation that she is placed under Ling Tong."

Ning Xue's jaw dropped; the obvious choice would be Lu Xun since they were friends.

"Zhou Yu, please explain your reasons." The king said.

Zhou Yu bowed. "After seeing them spar, it is my opinion that the lady is skilled in her blade and since she and Ling Tong are both quite evenly matched, they can benefit if they train together. In battles, the strategist mostly stayed in the main camp to observe, thus the lady will have ample opportunity to make the best of her skills if she is in Ling Tong's unit and send to the frontlines."

Lu Xun nodded and sat down; he was trained as a strategist and he admitted that given Ning Xue's impetuous nature, she would be most useful at the frontlines.

The Wu ruler agreed. "It is decided then."

"No!" Ning Xue retorted. Everyone turned to stare at her in shock at her refusal; no one defy the king's wishes. "Don't I get a say in this?" she complained.

"I'm afraid not, my lady." Zhou Yu's calm voice replied.

Ning Xue made a face at him. Lu Xun quickly got out of his seat and pulled the girl aside. "Do not refuse the king." he whispered urgently to the stubborn girl who crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"I want to be with you." the girl insisted, pouting her lips and ready to throw a tantrum.

"I'll still see you often. Ling Tong and I always go to battles together." he assured her.

"Don't you want me by your side?" she whined, her voice raising and the other officers frown at her choice of words.

Lu Xun winced and blushed furiously, knowing all too well what the other officers must be thinking. "Be good, Xue-er. The only difference is you get to train with Ling Tong. Trust me, you'll have a lot more fun with him than with me." Realizing he had not convinced the girl totally, the strategist added. "I have to study most of the time, I don't get out much, Xue-er. You'll be bored to tears. And you get to have Lotus Paste puffs for snacks everyday."

The girl's eyes lit up at the mention of the delicious snacks she had stolen from Ling Tong earlier. She looked uncertain, her eyes glancing at Ling Tong who smiled at her. Finally she sighed and met Lu Xun's gaze. "Alright, if that's what you want. But you promised I can see you anytime I want?"

The strategist nodded and smiled in relief. "And you must promise to obey Ling Tong. He will be your commanding officer from now on."

"What if he bullies me?" Ning Xue asked.

"I won't." Ling Tong interrupted in response. "Unless I want more torn clothes." he added sheepishly.

Everyone chuckled at his joke. "It is decided then." Sun Quan announced a second time.

The girl nodded and bowed her thanks reluctantly after Lu Xun elbowed her again to remind her to show her appreciation to the king.

"Very good, let me introduce some of my officers to you." The king smiled, pleased that things were going as he willed. Pointing to the handsome general who was in the first seat on the right, "This is Zhou Yu. He is a most excellent strategist and sworn brother to my dead brother. I hold him in most high regard." The general rose and bowed to the king and nodded at Ning Xue.

Pointing to the next person next to Zhou Yu, "Lu Meng, brave and most loyal warrior." Ning Xue saw a pale-looking man wearing a very serious expression on his face. He nodded briefly at the girl when their eyes met.

"Next is Gan Ning. He likes to be known as Gan Ning of the Bells. One of my bravest and most able generals in Wu." Ning Xue saw a rugged looking man wearing a bandana on his head and when he stood up, the girl noticed the large bells hanging on his sash. "Hello girl" his voice was rough but not harsh. Ning Xue grinned at him, looking at the bells more than his face.

"Huang Gai, he had served my family for three generations." Sun Quan continued the introduction. The girl moved further down the row and found a large man with a funny hairstyle staring at her. She tried a smile but he did not return it.

Moving down the line, the Wu lord pointed at another stern general with a large stature. "Taishi Ci, otherwise known as the Wolf general, most brave and loyal." Ning Xue nodded at the general who acknowledge her with a quick nod.

Moving to the other row on his left, Sun Quan pointed at a tall man with a scar across his face. "Zhou Tai, my bodyguard general who had saved my life. He is a man of few words." The bodyguard nodded at the girl.

"You knew Lu Xun; he is training to be a strategist under Zhou Yu. A talented and brilliant young man." The trainee strategist bowed low, his cheeks blushing at his lord's praise. Ning Xue stuck out her tongue at him and winked.

"Ling Tong, your commanding officer. He is the youngest general in Wu." The tall general grinned at the girl. "You may see my sister Sun Shang Xiang around the palace sometimes and the two Qiaos, the elder being my brother's widow and the younger is Zhou Yu's wife. I think you girls will be good friends in no time." The lord said, sipping his wine. He shuddered when his mind conjured an image of four giggling girls. "Men, pull up a chair besides Ling Tong for Ning Xue." Two eunuchs quickly left the room and returned with a cushion and placed it besides the grinning general.

The girl shrugged and took the offered seat.

"Before I forget, Lu Xun. Did you lose something?" the king winked and pulled out a saber behind him.

The strategist beamed when he saw his missing blade in his lord's hands. "I thank you, milord. I thought I had lost it for good." he admitted and retrieved the offered sword from the ruler's hands, feeling the familiar hilt and ran his fingers along the blade lovingly.

"Ning Xue, will you tell us how you found Lu Xun? I'm sure we are all dying to know."

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**Notes:**

This is a slightly dry and long chapter but I think it might be necessary to introduce Ning Xue to the other officers for the story's sake, so please bear with me. I promise the next chapter will be more entertaining.


	7. Chapter 7: Oh Oh

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : So far chapter 3 is the longest with over 3000 words. Personally, I have a rather short attention span myself so I tend to want to restrict my chapters to around 1500 words but I think I'm beginning to push it upwards to over 2000. I guess the length doesn't matter if the story fits in a single chapter. :p Oh yeah, I got the idea for Ning Xue's sword from the Dead of Alive game, one of the female characters uses a sword that can swing. And when I see the design on Sun Quan's wolf sword, that gave me the idea.

Blizzard209: Yes, there will be battles, at least two major ones and the first battle will be mentioned in Chapter 8. Yeah, Ling Tong's catching up fast too.

bluestarryskies: Thank you for your review. This probably sounds corny but I got inspiration and moltivation to write whenever I get reviews. hehe, it keeps my interest to continue the story. :D Oh Ning Xue most probably won't end up like the girls. I haven't really think much about how she will interact with the girls since the female officers aren't appearing in the story yet. Well, stay tune for that. :D

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**Chapter 7: Oh Oh**

Someone persistently knocked on her room door and woke Ning Xue up. She groaned, fluttered one eye open and found it was barely dawn. She had been working hard for the whole week, besides sparing with her commanding officer; Ling Tong trained her on horse riding and archery. It was hard work and her body ached and she felt her very bones rattled whenever she tried to move. "Go away. I just got to sleep." she yelled at the door, hoping that the person would leave and she could return to sleep. However, she was out of luck.

"Get up lazybones. We're going to spar with the others today, have you forgotten?" Ling Tong's cheerful voice announced and he continued to bang on her doors.

"I'm sick." she lied, praying that the officer would excuse her.

"Yeah, right! If you are not opening the door, I'm going to break it." he threatened but his voice betrayed a hint of amusement.

"Damn you, slave driver." Ning Xue complained but she opened both her eyes and dragged herself out of the bed, cursing him. "I'm getting dressed." she stated in a warning tone, daring the officer to barge in.

"Alright, I'll wait for you at the fields. Don't tarry."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." she replied half-heartedly, annoyed at her apparent lack of sleep and her sore body reminded her of the strenuous exercises her officer put her through for the past few days. "He's going to kill me sooner or later." she muttered to herself, dragging her dress from the cupboard. She winced and cursed when she stretched her tired arms through the fabric.

--------------------

"Hey, shall we spar today?" Lu Xun ran over to Ning Xue when he saw her walking towards the fields.

The girl yawned so wide that she had to wipe tears from her eyes. She glanced at her friend and tried to smile but instead started to yawn again. "Sorry, I'm so tired."

The strategist stifled a laugh rather unsuccessfully. He removed a kerchief from his sash and offered it to the girl. "Is Ling Tong training you hard?"

"Yeah! He is the officer from hell. I can barely lift my arms today." she rolled her eyes and suddenly grabbed Lu Xun's arm. "Save me, please Xun? Put me in anyone's unit but his." she pleaded, tugging at his sleeve.

The strategist chuckled. "You are exaggerating, aren't you? Ling Tong told me you're making good progress with the archery though you needed more work on your horse riding."

"He said that? Hmm... That's strange because all he told me was I sucked. I wasn't doing anything good enough for him. Just yesterday, he made me ran around the fields twenty times and marched with the soldiers under the hot sun for the whole afternoon. Then he ordered me to groom the stupid horses in the evening. By the time I finished the tasks, it was midnight and I was half-dead." Ning Xue made a face and pouted her lips. "I hate him" she added grumpily.

Lu Xun laughed and shook his head. "You are looking stronger from all that exercises. Ling Tong's quite good at training new recruits." The girl was about to protest when he interrupted her. "We should hurry, the sparring is about to begin and I really want to spar with you today." Taking her arm, he started running and dragged her behind him.

"There you are." Ling Tong approached the friends when he saw them. Ning Xue scorned and ignored him but the general was more amused than angry at her defiance. He glanced at Lu Xun who shrugged and grinned at him.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin." Huang Gai's solemn voice announced. He was the referee today. "Pick your opponents and come forward."

Lu Xun met Ning Xue's eyes, "shall we?"

Before she could reply, Ling Tong elbowed her and whispered into her ears. "If you win Lu Xun, I'll let you have the day off." Ning Xue widened her eyes at the offer. A day off would be a heavenly treat for her but she felt bad about beating her friend.

The strategist winked at the general. "A bribe?" he suggested, referring to Ling Tong's offer. He had heard him.

The tall general raised an eyebrow. "Hardly, Boyan. I have to give her some incentive, right? She's already hating my guts. I can't imagine going to battles and expecting her to guard my rear."

"I'm not guarding your ass." Ning Xue retorted. The two men laughed.

"My rear, pastry-girl. Not my ass." Ling Tong replied, stealing a quick glance at his behind. "I can protect my own ass, thank you very much." he muttered sarcastically.

The girl stuck out her tongue at him and made a face. "Looks like Gan Ning is sparing first." she pointed at the pirate who was waiting in the sparing grounds for an opponent.

Ling Tong growled at the mention of the ex-pirate's name. "I will fight him. He had better watch out because I'm not going easy on him, _ever_." Having said that, he removed his weapon from his belt and signaled to Huang Gai.

Ning Xue tilted her head in confusion. "He doesn't seem to like Gan Ning very much."

"Unfortunately, there is some dispute between them." He inhaled deeply and sighed. "Gan Ning was serving our enemy when Ling Tong was fifteen. He killed Ling Tong's father on the battlefield but later joined Wu and became our ally. Ling Tong never got over his father's death and wanted revenge but lord Sun Quan forbade him."

"Wow, he's either teasing me or playing pranks on others whenever I see him. I didn't expect him to be so serious about Gan Ning." Ning Xue chewed her lips thoughtfully, looking at her commanding officer's back as he faced the ex-pirate. "Do you think he'll kill Gan Ning?"

"No. Gan Ning's quite skilled and most capable of protecting himself."

"Do you think Gan Ning will kill him?" she met the strategist's brown eyes.

"That's hard to say. Gan Ning will try not to but if he's pushed hard, he might lose his cool." The Wu officer explained.

"Then, isn't it a bad idea to let them spar against each other?" Ning Xue's voice portrayed a concern tone for her superior.

"A very bad idea." Lu Xun agreed but it was too late for anyone to protest as Ling Tong charged against the other officer, swing his nunchaku menacingly. The duel was on.

---------------

"Enough Ling Tong! I don't want to fight you!" Gan Ning yelled impatiently at his charging opponent, dodging nimbly to avoid injury.

"What's the matter? Scared?" The martial artist taunted, advancing on the pirate.

Gan Ning growled; the boy was seriously testing his patience and he knew he did not have much to begin with. He was tempted to retaliate but he refrained himself knowing that he could seriously wound his opponent.

"Ling Tong, stop it!" Lu Xun waved frantically, hoping to catch the angry general's attention and distract him from seeking revenge on the pirate.

"Yeah, stop it." Ning Xue echoed, frowning. The fight between the two generals had evolved into a predictable style, with the tall general swinging his weapon mercilessly at his opponent who tried his best to stay ahead and adopted a defensive stance.

The two friends looked to Huang Gai to intervene. The large general stood aside, observing the fight cautiously for an opening where he might be able to break them up.

"Look, you are making me angry, boy." The pirate yelled, bringing his sword to parry an attack aimed at his head.

"Yeah, like I care. I'm going to kill you." Ling Tong threatened, his brown eyes narrowed dangerously.

"This is not going well. I'm going to get Lord Sun Quan. Try to stop them but be careful not to hurt yourself. "Lu Xun whispered to the girl besides him and ran off.

The pirate got careless as his patience wore thin and Ling Tong scored a hit on his chest. Gan Ning frowned at the darkening bruise on his skin and when he saw the martial artist's smirk, it was all he could tolerate. "That's it! Now, you are making me angry." With a roar, the pirate dropped his defensive moves and counterattacked. He slashed ferociously at the tall general, kicking and twisting his way around Ling Tong's defense. It was not long before he slashed the martial artist's thigh and landed a kick in his ribs, and sent the younger general to the ground.

Ling Tong picked himself up and examined at his bleeding wound. He swore and made a rude gesture at the pirate who seemed rather amused by it.

Huang Gai stepped between them at that moment. "That is enough sparring for the day for both of you. Ling Tong, go take care of your wound."

"I'm not done yet." the martial artist insisted stubbornly and was about to charge the pirate when he felt someone pulling him back. He turned and met Ning Xue's dark gaze.

"Enough." she stated in a firm voice, her hands grabbing Ling Tong's sash.

"Let go!" He wriggled but the girl refused to obey. "I order you to let go."

"No. You are hurt."

"Let go or else I'm going to hit you." the officer snarled and struggled more vigorously, attempting to shake off the girl's grip.

"No. I won't." she replied obstinately, pulling harder at his sash.

With a snap, the sash tore into two, and Ling Tong's trousers dropped, leaving him standing in his underpants. The crowd gasped in shock. Ning Xue covered her opened mouth with her hands, staring unbelieveably at her mistake. It took a brief moment before the stunned general pulled up the trousers, his cheeks flushed furiously and he glared angrily at the girl.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." she winced and apologized softly, unable to meet his furious glare.

After recovering from his shock, Gan Ning started to laugh, _hard_.

The martial artist gritted his teeth. Every sound the pirate made was eating away at his ego. He held his trousers in place with one fist, picked up his nunchaku with the other and walked away quickly from the fields. Ning Xue winced again when she saw a trail of blood on the grass as the general moved across the fields with a slight limp.

Feeling her conscience urging her to make up for the mistake, the girl caught up with her commanding officer and tried to help him but he shook off her hand roughly, determined to save the last bits of his ego. Ning Xue followed him quietly, ready to catch him if he fell but the man was so angry that he did not feel the pain from his wound until he was in the barracks. By then, one side of his trousers was wet with blood and he was beginning to feel a little light-headed from the blood loss.

The girl quickly pulled up the medicine box from a cupboard and she pushed the officer onto a seat, holding him down when he struggled. "What do you want?" he twitched irritably, his tone still harsh.

"I'm going to take care of your wound." Before the officer could protest, Ning Xue tore off part of his pants, revealing the ugly gush on his thigh. She winced at the bloody mess and started to clean the wound with a cloth.

"Ow!" the officer cringed as the fabric touched his raw flesh.

"Sorry." The girl pulled out a vial and poured some white powder onto the wound, and started to bandage it.

Ling Tong watched her; he had to admit she was meticulous. The bandage was firm and she did not flinch at the sight of blood like most females would and usually fresh recruits like her could hardly bandage a wound properly without some training.

Ning Xue unrolled a new roll of bandages and snipped of a length of it. Measuring it in her mind, she nodded and gave it to the officer who looked at her confused. "For your belt." she explained.

He smiled and nodded. He tied it around his waist and looked at himself, satisfied that his ruined trousers held. "Now, you owe me a pair of trousers, plus the tray of snacks you stole from me. And you embarrassed me in front of them especially that stupid pirate, how shall I punish you?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Hey, I made up for that, didn't I?" She replied curtly, pointing at his white waistband.

"That'll be letting you off too easily. You're lucky that none of the girls were present, or I'll never forgive you for pulling that stunt on me in front of them."

Ning Xue frowned. "What do you want?" She looked nervously at him, almost afraid to hear his response.

Ling Tong looked thoughtful as he considered a worthy punishment for the girl. "You are so fortunate that I'm a magnanimous man. First, you can help me to my room, then you are to be my serving maid until my leg heals."

"Not fair. You said I could have the day off."

"No. I said you can have the day off only if you win Lu Xun." he corrected her and stifled a yawn. "Well, I'm tired, so shall we move?" he curled one finger and gestured for the girl to help him.

Ning Xue swore at him and made the rude gesture he had earlier threw at the pirate.

Ling Tong raised an amused eyebrow. "Why do you have to pick up one of my _not-so-nice_ qualities when I have so many good ones for you to learn?" He snickered. "And it is not very ladylike for a girl to do that. You'll frighten off prospective suitors. Don't come running to me when you are left on the shelf."

Ning Xue stuck out her tongue and kicked him lightly on his good foot.


	8. Chapter 8: A Request from Shu

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : Thank you. There are more amusing chapters coming up, at least a couple more.

Blizzard209: Now's is Ning Xue's turn to keep messing things up. And she's going to do that for another two more chapters at least. Poor Lu Xun, he does have lesser opportunities now that the girl is in Ling Tong's unit. But he'll have another go at it, soon.

bluestarryskies: Yeah, Ling Tong is an outgoing, sarcastic man. I do have fun with his dialogues, hopefully I didn't overdo it. :p I usually write two chapters in advance when I post one up and I try to upload a new one at least every week. Yay, get hook on fanfiction again. :D

legendoflegends: Thank you so much for your review. I'm so glad you enjoyed the reading. Hopefully this chapter is as funny for you as well.

anon: Yes, you're right. However, Ling Tong will score for at least another two more chapters before the tables are turned. I hoped you can bear with me till then.

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**Chapter 8 : A Request from Shu**

"I gathered you here today because Liu Bei had requested for us to attack He Fei. I am considering his request and want to hear your recommendations." Sun Quan said, looking at his officers.

"Why should we help him fight?" Ling Tong snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Zhou Yu studied the map in front of him with Lu Xun; the two strategists examined the terrain around He Fei, considering if it was beneficial to attack the city.

"He Fei is being guarded by Zhang Liao, a famous general. He has the reputation of being a brave and resourceful general. I'm afraid it won't be as easy as it seems." Lu Meng said thoughtfully.

"We have more brave generals here in Wu." Huang Gai replied and the other officers nodded in agreement.

"Our scouts reported that there are around a thousand troops in the city and with Cao Cao's attention focused on Shu, we might be able to take He Fei." Lu Xun offered.

Zhou Yu smiled at his student, and nodded. "Lu Xun has a point. He Fei is an important and strategic location, if we want to conquer the North, we must take that city. However, I must caution against the Wei general. He cannot be underestimated."

"We have more troops; if we bring a regime of ten thousand elite soldiers, we can take that city with our sheer advantage in numbers." Lu Meng suggested, mentally counting the number of troops at their disposal.

"We must also consider Liu Bei's agenda. If the city is so easy to take, he would have taken it himself." The senior strategist reminded them. The other officers nodded thoughtfully.

"Liu Bei is busy guarding his borders. Cao Cao's watching his movements closely. With such restrictions, I doubt he is able to conquer He Fei even if he wanted to." Lu Meng replied.

"And he wants us to distract Cao Cao; with Wu attacking Wei from the south, Liu Bei will have an advantage when he attacked westwards from Shu." Lu Xun analyzed, pointing at the map laid on the table.

The officers glanced expectantly at their king who had his head resting on a palm. Turning to Zhou Yu, he asked. "Zhou Yu, do you have a strategy to win this battle?"

The strategist studied the map thoroughly, pointing at several wavy lines on the map, he replied. "Yes. We will bring ten thousands soldiers with us, as Lu Meng suggested. Gan Ning can take two regiments of three thousand and travel via sea. Lu Xun can go with him. Leave five hundred as guards. Lu Meng and Zhou Tai will take the remaining soldiers and attack the castle directly. We will divert Wei's attention to these two units and when Gan Ning's units arrived via sea, they will be caught between us. We will catch them by surprise."

The king nodded thoughtfully, a smile creeping onto his face as he saw the merit of Zhou Yu's strategy. "Brilliant, Zhou Yu. What would I do without you?" The strategist blushed at his lord's compliments.

"What about me?" Ling Tong asked. "I want to go too."

"You will go with me; we will guard the main camp. Huang Gai will stay to tend to the city." the handsome strategist replied calmly.

Ling Tong looked disappointed at his impending guard duty but he shrugged and accepted his role.

"I'm going too." the king announced drawing everyone's attention on him.

"Are you sure, milord?" Zhou Yu questioned, rubbing his temples lightly.

"Yes. I am going to rally the troop's morale with my presence." His decision was final and the officers knew from the tone of his voice that the king had made up his mind. "Let's do as Zhou Yu said. Select your troops and we march tomorrow at dawn."

The meeting was over.

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"Xue-er." Lu Xun called out to the girl who was busy cleaning the stables. When she heard his voice and saw him, she dropped the bucket of water she was carrying and ran towards him; the water splashed over the clean stables.

"Made a mess again, didn't you, Pastry Girl." Ling Tong's voice had a mocking tone as he emerged from behind the strategist and grinned at her.

"Eww, what are you doing here?" the girl asked warily, one eyebrow rose as she wondered what 'good' news her commanding officer could possibly bring.

"Well, we are going to war." The martial artist replied in a dry tone.

The girl's eyes widened and she looked to Lu Xun for confirmation; he nodded. "War? Where?"

"He Fei. We march tomorrow at dawn." Ling Tong answered.

"Both of you will be going?"

The two generals nodded. "What about me?" Ning Xue asked anxiously, afraid that she might be left behind.

Lu Xun was about to reply her when Ling Tong cut him off. "You are staying here." he replied curtly.

"Hey, not fair. If Xun's going, I'm going too." Ning Xue tugged at the strategist's sleeves.

"Do I need to remind you that you're not in Boyan's unit?" the tall general raised his voice slightly but his lips twitched and threatened to break into a grin.

Lu Xun glanced at his friend, confused until he caught his subtle wink and realized Ling Tong was teasing the girl. He turned his back towards the girl so that she could not see the grin on his face.

"I want to go!" the girl retorted, clinging onto the strategist, she turned to him and pleaded. "Please, Xun. Take me with you. I won't let you go to war alone."

Ling Tong raised his eyebrow as he took in the closeness between the two friends and coughed awkwardly. Lu Xun's cheeks colored in response and he tried to remove the girl's hands off him.

"Do you have an armor?" the martial artist asked, changing the subject.

Ning Xue looked confused. "Do I need an armor?"

"Yes." Both officers replied unanimously and chuckled at their timed responses.

"You cannot go to war without wearing an armor, Xue-er. It is too dangerous." the strategist explained.

"Fine. I'll wear an armor." the girl nodded. "Just take me with you."

"The thing is... do you have an armor?" her commanding officer questioned again.

The girl shook her head sadly. "Isn't the army giving me one?" She looked expectantly at the two officers.

"Sure, if you want to wear those stinky, heavy and ugly ones. Not to mention that they are in need of repairs and did I say they stink?" Ling Tong replied cheekily, faking a disgusted expression on his face.

Lu Xun stifled a laugh. Ning Xue looked alarmed at his words but she reluctantly nodded. "I'll wear anything, just don't leave me here."

Ling Tong blinked, the girl's response was not what he had expected; he had anticipated her to whine, throw a tantrum and perhaps changed her mind about tagging along, but she did not. He looked at the girl with admiration in his eyes and nodded. "Alright, I guess it's time to stop joking. Boyan and I have a gift for you."

"A gift? For me?" Her blue eyes beamed and she jumped in excitement. "Lotus paste puffs?" she asked.

"No. you greedy pig." Ling Tong laughed. "Do you always think of food?" Lu Xun joined in, laughing as well.

The two men removed three bundles from their hiding places and offered it to the girl who wasted no time unwrapping one of them. The first bundle revealed a container that held a beautiful headpiece made of silver and decorated with elaborated carvings resembling that of leaves. The girl removed it from the container and after examining the metal piece, placed it on her neck.

The two men burst into laughter. "You silly. That's for your head, it is a headgear." Lu Xun removed the headpiece from the girl's neck and brushed the bangs off her grinning face. He put it gently on her head and examined her. "Looks good on you." he commented. The strategist's cheeks reddened his close promixity with the girl but she was so excited about the gift that she did not notice it.

"Really?" Ning Xue beamed. She let her fingers feel the metal piece on her hair and adjusted the placement slightly. Looking at the next bundle, she hastily opened it and found a pair of comfortable-looking, knee-lengthed leather boots, sewn with thick silver threads and it had a tiny white ribbon on each side that matched those on the girl's hair. "Wow, these are beautiful." She kicked off her footwear and slipped the boots on.

"At least, you didn't wear them on your hands this time." Ling Tong could not help teasing the girl. Lu Xun chuckled at his joke while the girl stuck out her tongue at him.

The last package was the largest of the three. Ning Xue looked eagerly at it; she unwrapped it with deft fingers and revealed the most beautiful armor the girl had ever seen. It was adorned with engraving of the same leafy design on her headpiece and the silver metal was light-weight and will not encumber its wearer. She removed it from the package and held it up. It was not a large piece of armor and most of the metal are at the chest plate. It had comfortable padding beneath the metal. The eager girl started to untie her sash when both men stopped her.

"You are not thinking of stripping here, are you?" Ling Tong asked warily, hoping the girl was not as crazy as he thought.

Lu Xun did not bother to ask because he knew the girl well; she _was_ going to try her armor. He shook his head wearily.

"What? I want to try the armor. Don't I need to take these clothes off?"

"Yes." Ling Tong's answer was fast but his eyes widened as he quickly realized what the girl's response might be. "I mean no." He knew he was contradicting himself and sighed in slight frustration.

The girl stared at him, utterly confused.

"Yes, you wear the armor over your undergarments." the martial artist's face colored slightly as he explained to the oblivious girl. "No, because you do not just strip in front of anyone."

"No, don't..." Lu Xun started to say something to the other officer but Ning Xue interrupted.

"Alright, I will just take off my outer clothes then." the swordswoman replied innocently and started to drag one sleeve off her shoulders.

"No!" Both men shouted together and Lu Xun quickly grabbed her hands before she could remove more of her clothing. Turning to a blushing Ling Tong, he chastised "I was going to warn you, don't give her ideas."

"Sheesh, I didn't know she's that stupid." he rolled his eyes and looked away from them.

"I am NOT stupid!" Ning Xue retorted, slapping hard on the officer's arm.

"She's not stupid, Gongji." Lu Xun agreed. "She is innocent and had lived all her life in the mountains. She doesn't know about such things." he explained wearily, rubbing at his temples.

The martial artist shrugged. "Alright, I got it. Geeze, I didn't know that. Must both of you give me such a hard time?" he replied jokingly, rubbing at his sore arm where the girl had hit him.

Lu Xun smiled. "Xue-er, you can wear the armor when we march out tomorrow. Remember, it is at dawn, do not be late and you will go to battle in Ling Tong's unit." He said kindly to the girl. "I will be traveling by sea. Ling Tong will march with the rest of the army. I'll see you in He Fei."

The girl pouted at she had heard. "You're not going with me?"

The strategist shook his head and patted the disappointed girl on her shoulders. "Gongji, please take care of her."

"Don't worry; I will make sure she comes back alive." Ling Tong winked. "Oh, don't you think we deserve some appreciation for the gift and for not leaving you behind?" He hinted and poked her shoulders playfully.

The girl leaned forward and planted a small kiss on Lu Xun's cheeks. She turned to Ling Tong and did the same, though she had to arch on her feet a little to reach the tall officer's cheeks. The strategist touched his moist cheek and his face reddened instantly. He managed a small embarrassed smile at the girl.

The martial artist just stared at the girl with his jaw hanging, totally surprised. He looked so comical that Ning Xue and Lu Xun started laughing at him. Their chuckles promptly shut his mouth and his cheeks flushed red. Embarrassed and feeling awkward, he refused to meet their gazes and turned his back towards them. As he started to walk out of the stables, he paused. "Don't be late tomorrow, Pastry Girl."

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The next day at dawn, a battalion of ten thousand elite troops stood at full attention as their generals inspected them. Morale was extremely high, due to the king's presence. Sun Quan nodded and signaled for Gan Ning to move out; the pirate led his unit and boarded the waiting naval ships. Lu Xun looked at the girl besides him and smiled sadly. "Be careful out there, Xue-er. Stay close to Ling Tong and obey him."

Tears lined her dark eyes. Ning Xue sniffed a little and nodded. "You take care too."

The strategist nodded and boarded the waiting vessel. He waved back at the girl.

"All units, march!" The soldiers at front started advancing, led by Lu Meng and Zhou Tai.

"Come, Pastry Girl. We march." Ling Tong stretched a hand towards the girl and she took it. "By the way, you look very pretty in your amour." he commented when the girl marched next to him. She glanced at him and grinned.


	9. Chapter 9: He Fei I

**Reviews:**

Blizzard209: You're quite right, it is indeed a bad omen. You're very good at guessing the plot or did I make it too obvious:D And yes, definitely is the calm before the storm.

(Sin) : Oh yeah, first war the three friends participated. :p

WillTheWatcher: Welcome back. I'm so glad you're still following the story. Indeed, Ning Xue did show her stuff, however Lu Meng isn't too happy with her.

bluestarryskies: Ah, I was beginning to wonder about that but it seems that most of you hoped to see Lu Xun get the girl. Well, I'm not telling just yet. :D

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**Chapter 9 : He Fei I**

Ning Xue paced the camp restlessly; the massive army of Wu had arrived a few days ago and had already established a supply route. Now, they were waiting for Gan Ning's navy to arrive. The girl wandered around, restless and irritated. She had never been fond of water, and it was the wet season in the north; it had been raining heavily for the past few days. The sky was dark and cloudy and the camp was damp and cold. There was mud everywhere. Ning Xue frowned irritably. The wet weather had dampened her spirits and she was dying for some action, yet Ling Tong's unit was scheduled to be on guard duty. She nearly wanted to scream at him for not trying to ask for a more active role.

She was supposed to be guarding the supplies but she got so frustrated staring at the crates of provisions all day that she willfully kicked one. Little did she know that a small kick could start a chain reaction; the box gave way and all the other crates piled on top of it, fell down and emptied its contents all over the tent. It was a mess and Ling Tong had punished her by giving her nothing to do afterwards; that had not help her restlessness.

_it's all that Zhou Yu's fault. Why do I get the feeling he doesn't like me?_ She thought but shook her head. _No, it must be that stupid Ling Tong. He must have upset him._ The girl sighed in frustration and kicked one loose pebble on the ground, however she swung her feet too hard and fell on the slippery mud instead. Ning Xue growled in extreme frustration; her tolerance for the wet weather was almost down to none now. She needed to find something to distract herself, and find it _fast._ She picked herself up from the muddy ground, and try to dust her clothes clean, not that it would have helped. The mud stuck on her armor and even her undergarments were soiled. Her wet bangs fell on her eyes and obstructed her vision. She swept the irritating hair away roughly and only to realise she had mud on her hands; now there was mud on her hair too. That was the last straw; she let out a loud scream of frustration and shook her fist at the sky.

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"Hey..." Ling Tong came running into her tent and stared at a wet and dirty Ning Xue. "Eeew, what happened to you? Fell into a pit?" he teased, wrinkling his nose.

Ning Xue looked at him from the corners of her eyes but she did not answer him. She turned her back towards the officer and started to remove her dirty armor.

"Hey... Do you want me to come back later?" there was a slight tone of embarrassment in the officer's voice and he glanced towards the tent exit.

The girl shook her head and concentrated on her armor. With a rough pull, the armor fell onto the ground with a loud _clang_ and Ning Xue dipped her head into a nearby bucket of clean water to wash off the mud on her hair.

"Err, I better come back later." the officer turned to leave, embarrassed in the presence of the scantily-dressed girl.

"No, stay." the girl said quickly, lifting her wet hair from the pail and letting the water dripped over her inner garments.

Ling Tong turned to look at her and his face reddened instantly. He coughed frantically, choking on his saliva and tried to look elsewhere. Finally he raised two hands and covered his eyes.

"What's wrong with you? Stop fooling around. I'm not in the mood to play with you." Under other circumstances, Ning Xue would find the officer's expressions funny but at that moment, she was so grouchy that she was hardly amused.

The martial artist pointed at her clothes, coughing and trying hard to catch his breath at the same time. The girl glanced at her wet garments and found the white-colored fabric had become translucent. She stared at her commanding officer and found him still coughing and his eyes hovered around nervously at everywhere but her. Judging from his reaction, the girl understood that she was making him uneasy with her state of undress, so she took a dry cloak and wrapped it over her body.

"Better now?" she asked the officer who nodded sheepishly, cheeks still flushing red.

"Alright, have a seat." she offered a seat to the man.

Ling Tong swallowed hard and took the seat. "I know you're restless. I came to tell you that Lu Meng's marching off tomorrow; you can join his unit if you like. Gan Ning and Lu Xun should arrive by sea tomorrow as well. "He tuned his gaze towards the tent exit.

Ning Xue smiled; she had to. Ling Tong did cheer her up with the news. "Really? He'll take me?" she looked expectantly at him, her eyes widened in excitement.

"Yeah, I've spoken to him; he doesn't mind one extra blade in his unit. Besides, I would rather not have you messing around with the supplies while you are bored and restless. We do have to eat, you know." he teased, with a slight smile on his face.

The girl chuckled, glad that she got to do something at last. She leaned forward and hugged the Wu officer. "You're not so bad, you know?" she said, laughing.

Ning Xue felt the martial artist's muscles tensed upon her touch, he met her eyes and squeezed her hands; It felt warm. He held her gaze and stared at her with a strange expression, his cheeks started to flush red. Eventually he blinked and his usual mischievous grin returned. "I know." he chuckled shamelessly.

The girl rolled her eyes and laughed.

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Ning Xue dodged a Wei's soldier's spear. She hit him back with her scabbard, not wanting to kill him. The blow disoriented the soldier and Ning Xue knocked him out with another knock at the back of his head. Behind her, another soldier aimed his weapon at the girl's back. He was about to thrust it into her when he gurgled on his own blood instead, a polearm stuck out of his torso. Alarmed, Ning Xue turned around and saw Lu Meng pulling his weapon out of the dead soldier's body. She stole a quick glance at his latest victim and winced; it was one of the enemies she had engaged earlier. She could have killed the soldier but had knocked him out instead, convinced that she was doing the right thing, sparing his life. She had not considered that the enemy would regain consciousness and attempted to kill her instead.

She met Lu Meng's angry gaze and winced. "Are you mad? Why are you holding back on the battlefield?" He scolded angrily, pointing at her sheathed sword.

"I just... I just don't want to kill." she grimaced as her eyes counted scores of lifeless bodies scattered around the battlefield.

"Fool! What are you doing on the battlefield? Is that how Ling Tong trained you?" the pale-faced general barked at her, poking his finger harshly at her.

"I..." She did not know what to say but did not want the general to put the blame on her commanding officer instead. "No, this has nothing to do with Ling Tong."

"I command you to do your duty as a soldier of Wu. Serve your king. A warrior's duty is to kill your enemies and protect your allies. If you do not follow your orders, you will be subjected to martial law." he warned, shaking his fist at the girl.

Ning Xue recalled her granny's last words. _Do not hurt them._ She winced and gritted her teeth, feeling herself in a dilemma. She chastised herself for foolishly dying to get her hands on some action, yet she had never paused to think what kind of action she would get on a battlefield. Yes, she had been a fool.

At that moment, she caught sight of a stray enemy soldier charging at Lu Meng's back. She ducked her eyes at the general; he was still staring intensely at her, his attention focused wholly on her. There was no time to warn him; she had to do something or let her commander be killed because of her. Ning Xue swallowed hard, and made the hardest decision of her life. With one strong arm, she shoved the general aside roughly, and swung the scabbard from her sword; it hit the charging soldier who was stunned for just a breath. A breath was all she needed as she stabbed her sword into the man. Ning Xue watched his eyes widened at the impact, his hands clutched at her sword still impaled in his torso and his body went into shock, shaking uncontrollably before his eyes rolled back and his head slumped. Only her sword held his corpse in a standing position. "Sorry." Ning Xue muttered sadly and withdrew her blade. The lifeless body dropped onto the ground, his blood adding to the crimson-colored ground.

Lu Meng nodded, grateful that she had evaded danger from him. "Good job, soldier." he patted her roughly on her shoulders and turned his attention back on the battle and engaged the nearest enemy.

The girl grimaced and felt her tears flowed from her eyes. She had killed her first human; she had broken the promise to her mentor. Her heart felt heavy and she felt something changed within her. She had lost something for good but she did not know what. It left her with a bitter taste in her mouth. "What a fool I have been." she murmured. "I came rushing to war, dying for some action but I did not stop to think what I would find on a battlefield - I rushed here to kill men." she sobbed into her palms, hoping that her tears would cleanse the blood off her hands. But when she looked at her hands, she found they were still bloody. She looked at the sky and lamented. "Why?" It was then she noticed the purple smoke. It was a signal from their main camp and the purple smoke was used only if the king was in grave danger; Sun Quan was in serious trouble.

It was not a time for crying and the girl knew the urgency of the signal. Ning Xue wiped her tears and ran to her commander. "Lu Meng. Our lord is in trouble." She pointed upwards.

The pale officer looked up and frowned deep. "Retreat. We must hurry back to the main camp."

"Allow me to go ahead and help." she offered, feeling the graveness of the situation. The violet smoke gave her an uneasy feeling.

"Are you sure? There might be an ambush waiting for us on our way back." he looked doubtfully at her.

Ning Xue nodded. "I'm alone, if there are ambushes, they might not want to reveal themselves for a lone soldier. But if they did, then they reveal themselves and will be of no threat to our retreating unit."

Lu Meng stared at her in surprise, with mild respect showing in his dark eyes. He had clearly not expected the girl to display any analytical skills. "You may go, but be careful. If you spring an ambush, run immediately."

The swordswoman nodded and mounted a nearby horse immediately. She tapped the mare and it ran full speed in the direction of their main camp. Ning Xue took a deep breath and channeled her will into magical energy. She had not use any magic since she left the mountains. As a young fox spirit, her magic was mundane at best and her control over her magic was not perfect. Using magic drained her strength and she could not substain it for too long but this was an urgent assignment. Ning Xue thought about Ling Tong who was supposed to be guarding Sun Quan. If Sun Quan was in danger, then the martial artist would be in peril as well. From her fingers, an invisible magical force appeared and she directed it to wrap over the mare's legs, and the horse charged forward at a greater speed.

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"What are you doing?" Ling Tong yelled at his lord who hesitated, looking at the river ahead.

He turned to look at the officer and pointed helplessly. "There is no bridge."

"What? You need a bridge to cross? Geeze, just jump over it with your horse. Come on, quickly. Zhang Liao's pressing fast behind. We cannot hold him back much longer." He gestured for his lord to move, turning back to survey the battle behind him and frowned.

Sun Quan took a deep breath and urged his horse to take a few steps backwards. "Alright. Stay alive, Ling Tong." he glanced back and said to the officer. Then he focused on his task ahead and shouted at the sky. "Father, brother. Look over me." his horse dashed across the river at full speed, and leaped.

Ling Tong inhaled deeply and held his breath as he watched Sun Quan's horse jumped, only to exhale in relief when the horse's hooves touched solid ground across the river bank. He turned to his remaining men; they numbered around three hundred while Zhang Liao's pursuing troops had two thousand. There were no other options left but to fight. And he will give that Wei general a good fight. Ling Tong raised his nunchaku and shouted to the sky. "For the king."

"For the king." the soldiers raised their spears and followed their general, to certain death.

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Ning Xue arrived and saw what was left of a battlefield. Countless dead soldiers wearing the colors of Wu scattered around, with spears and swords still impaled in their corpses. The ground was still wet with blood and the crows hovered around the battlefield, waiting for their chance to feed. The metallic smell of blood lingered in the air, Ning Xue wrinkled her nose in disgust.

She dismounted from her horse and checked the battlefield. She saw familiar flags that marked the dead men were from Ling Tong's unit. She turned a few corpses and recognized their faces. They had been matching with her in the same regime. Ning Xue winced and felt increasingly worried for her allies. She searched frantically around the quiet battlefield, hoping to find something that might give her an idea what had happened.

Ning Xue jumped when she felt a hand grabbed her leg. She looked down to see a soldier's glancing at her. He was still alive and wore the colors of Wu, though fresh blood seeped through his wounds as he moved. Ning Xue took a quick look at the soldier's injuries and knew he was dying but he looked like he wanted to say something, so she squatted down besides him.

"I know you... you are with... lord Ling Tong... go save ... him." he said weakly and coughed, fresh blood flowed from his pale lips.

"Where is he? What about lord Sun Quan?" she asked quickly, knowing that time was against her and the soldier was fading fast.

"King... escaped." he answered with much difficulty as he struggled with his breathing. "Lord Ling Tong... fight... there." With his last strength, he pointed east and Ning Xue turned to look at the direction. When she turned back to look at the soldier, he was already dead, his eyes stared blankly into space.

"Thank you. Rest in peace." she muttered sadly and closed his eyes with her hand.

She quickly mounted her horse and charged eastwards, praying to the heavens that she would be in time to save her friend.

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**Notes:**

I'm curious. Give me a hint, do you want to see Ning Xue with Ling Tong or Lu Xun?


	10. Chapter 10: He Fei II

**Reviews:**

Blizzard209: Lu Xun's got another vote. Yeah, its pretty sad she had to find it out that way, but it has to be done. The pastry girl must grow up eventually.

(Sin) : Another vote for lucky Lu Xun. lol.

bluestarryskies: Ah, the boy with the hat gets another vote, lucky him. Must be his cool sabers. lol

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**Chapter 10: He Fei II**

Ning Xue could hear the sounds of weapons clashing and the battle cries of the soldiers. She knew she was nearing another battlefield. As the horse narrowed the distance, she could make out a lone soldier in red, surrounded by scores of Wei soldiers wearing blue uniforms. From the way the lone soldier fought, Ning Xue knew she had found Ling Tong. Her heart leaped in excitement but only for a brief moment. The girl could make out several wounds on the officer and he was struggling to keep the enemies' spears away from him. His face was bloody from a nasty gash on one cheek, and his clothes were tattered from cuts all over his body and Ning Xue could see he was exhausted; his eyes were barely opened.

It was a crucial moment and Ning Xue knew it. She directed another magical force to surround her horse and dashed straight into the centre of the crowd. The dashing force threw the enemy soldiers off her path and when she was near enough, she shouted the officer's name. "Ling Tong, take my hand."

He turned to look at her, hearing his name but his eyes remained unfocused for a short moment before they widened in surprise in recognition. As Ning Xue dashed past him, she bended down from the horse, one hand holding the reins, the other grabbed the officer's arm and swung him on the horseback behind her. The horse continued dashing across the battlefield, uninterrupted until Ning Xue could no longer hear the battle cries behind her.

She stole one glance at her friend behind and found him barely conscious. "Ling Tong, are you alright?" she was worried. He did not look at her but closed his eyes and collapsed. Ning Xue grabbed the officer in time, to prevent him from falling off the horse. She took his hands and wrapped them over her waist and held them secured with one hand and urged the horse onwards with the other. She knew Ling Tong was still bleeding and if she did not take care of his wounds soon, he would die.

Ning Xue saw a bridge ahead of her and directed her horse to cross it, and then she cut off the bridge with magic to prevent the pursuing Wei soldiers from crossing it. The horse went on, without stopping but it was slowing down. Ning Xue knew it was getting tired and she needed to find a place to hide soon. She scanned around and found they were near a forest. She moved into the forest and dismounted. The girl removed the supplies attached to the horse and carried the wounded officer in her arms. Then she slapped the horse and let it ran off. As an experienced hunter, Ning Xue did not want to leave her footprints in the soft forest ground for the enemies to track, so she floated herself slightly and drifted into the forest, taking care to contain the officer's blood so that they would not leave a bloody trail for their enemies to find.

Ning Xue laid the unconscious Ling Tong on a soft bed of dry leaves and removed his tattered clothes, taking care not to aggravate his injuries. As he lay bare on the leaves, the girl examined his wounds, noting a deep cut on his thigh and several small ones over his body. His arms and legs were decorated with scratches and bruises. Ning Xue winced at the sight, feeling a pang of guilt crept into her heart. If she had stuck with her commanding officer as she should have, then perhaps he would not be so grievously injured. Sniffing back tears, she dipped a clean cloth into a nearby stream and squeezed it dry. Then she proceeded to clean his wounds, starting from the cut on his cheek first.

She checked her supplies and found she did not have enough bandages for all of Ling Tong's wounds, so she bandaged his thigh and put a clean dressing on his face and bandaged the deeper cuts. When she was finally done, she covered the officer with her cloak and took his clothes. She sniffed it and winced. It was laden with dried blood and sweat. Shaking her head, she brought the rags to the nearby stream and washed.

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Ling Tong's eyes fluttered open, the chirpings of birds in the forest woke him out. His eyes focused on his surroundings and finally on a concerned-looking girl who was observing him quietly besides him. "Pastry girl?" he murmured, unable to believe what he saw. He saw her nod and smiled in relief. "Where am I?" the martial artist glanced around.

"In the forest, somewhere near He Fei I think." she replied gently.

"How? Weren't you with Lu Meng?" he asked, and tried to get up but found that his ribs hurt. He glanced down and saw his torso wrapped with bandages. "You... you bandaged me?" he raised one eyebrow and looked at her, his cheeks turning slightly red.

The girl nodded and looked away, realizing that the officer might be embarrassed if she maintained eye contact. "We saw the signal and Lu Meng let me go ahead first. One soldier can move faster than a regime."

"You came for me?" he said in a surprise tone and squeezed her hand gratefully.

She turned to meet his brown gaze and nodded. "Thank you." Ling Tong smiled weakly.

Ning Xue returned the smile. "I know you would do the same for me."

The general nodded; it was true, he would have done the same for her. "So, where are my clothes?" he asked, shivering as he felt a slight breeze swept pass him. Ning Xue pointed at a pile of rags next to her. Ling Tong examined the clothes and frowned. "They are ruined."

Ning Xue giggled and nodded. "How am I to wear it?" he asked the amused girl who shrugged. "Can't you mend it?"

The girl's eyes widened and she pointed at herself. "Me? You're asking me to mend your clothes?"

"Yeah, please? I'm cold." he smiled sheepishly at her.

"And how am I going to mend it?" she threw back the question at the officer, turning her hands up helplessly.

Ling Tong shrugged and his teeth chattered. "Do something, I'm shivering."

Ning Xue fed more firewood to the dying campfire and after a few moments, the campfire brightened the camp and they felt warmer. She wrapped her cloak over Ling Tong and placed one hand beneath his leg. The officer wriggled and stared at her in confusion. "I'm carrying you nearer to the fire."

His eyes widened in shock and he started to struggle. "No. I'm not letting you carry me. If the others knew, I would never be able to lift my head up again."

"I did carry you while you were unconscious. What's the difference? Come..." She lifted him up before he could protest further and let him sit on a log near the camp fire. Ling Tong blushed furiously and pulled the cloak closer to him to hide his modesty.

His actions were not lost to the girl. "I don't know what it is with you _humans_. Why are you so afraid of showing a little skin?" she grumbled and met his inquiring gaze. "Besides, I did bandage your wounds."

Ling Tong's jaws dropped and his cheeks flushed a deep red. "You... you're shameless, you know?" he blurted out. He was so embarrassed that he did not notice the girl's unusual choice of words.

The girl frowned and looked away, hurt by his careless words. "Xun said that too." she murmured.

"You saw Boyan... naked?" he queried, his voice rising in disbelief.

She shook her head. "No, he was still wearing his inner garments but that didn't stop him from scolding me anyway." she sighed and looked away; concentrating on skinning the hare she had caught earlier.

Ling Tong felt envious of his friend's close relationship with the girl. He observed the girl working on the hare, skinning and cleaning the animal.

They remained silent for a long moment, allowing the chirpings of the birds in the forest to make up for the awkward silence between them. It was the martial artist who broke it with a question. "Do you like... Boyan?" he asked suddenly and focused his eyes on the fire, not daring to meet her gaze.

Ning Xue raised one eyebrow and she nodded. "Yeah, and you too. Both of you are my best friends." She met his gaze for a moment and placed the skewered hare over the fire.

"I mean... Do you..." he coughed nervously and took a deep breath and held it. "Do you love him?" The martial artist stared intensely at the girl, waiting anxiously for her reply, but yet afraid to hear it at the same time. He could feel his mouth dry and his heart beat wildly. Time seemed to slow to a crawl; even the birds seemed to stop chirping, eager to hear the girl's answer as well.

The girl blinked and stared at the officer in confusion. "Love?" she paused. "What's that?"

Ling Tong felt his jaw dropped. "You... don't know what Love is?" he shook his head; the girl was even denser than he had imagined.

Ning Xue shrugged and shook her head. "Explain to me, please?" she moved besides the officer, held his arm and shook it gently.

The martial artist inhaled deeply; he was unsure how to explain such a complex emotion to the girl. He met her blue eyes and found her looking expectantly at him, her hands crutching his arms. He sighed. "Well... Love is when you care about someone very much and... want to protect him even at the expense of your life. You feel his every emotion. When he is happy, you are happy. When he is sad, so are you. You are incomplete without him and when you are with him, nothing else matters."

Ning Xue's mouth opened. "Wow..." was all she said.

"Yes, it is a very intense emotion." he murmured, sighing again at the knot he felt in his stomach as he gazed at her. He had not thought much about the girl when he first met her, but as time past, he realized that he was always happy when he was in her presence. His father was his only family and when Gan Ning killed him, he was left all alone in the world. Revenge was the only thing that kept him sane. Yet, when Ning Xue appeared, he found himself smiling again. He found amusement in her foolish actions and silly words. Her simple-mindedness and innocence made him want to protect her even more. Somehow, the martial artist felt alive again. He found himself grasping at the girl's warm hands and enjoying the brief moment of closeness between them.

"So, have you been in love before?" she asked suddenly, breaking his thoughts.

Ling Tong blinked, taken aback by her question. He closed his mouth and looked away quickly. He remained quiet for some moments before the girl poked him gently to remind him that she was waiting for his answer.

"Tell me." she clutched at his arm and winced. "You are cold." she commented and handed the clothes to him. "Wear them, at least it would provide you some warmth." The girl got up and turned her back towards him, giving him some privacy and focused on their meal instead.

Ling Tong looked at his clothes in his hands, his mind was in a messy twirl, and he felt strange emotions stirring within him and not quite understanding them. Another breeze swept through the camp and reminded the undressed officer that he was still shivering. He donned his tattered clothes over him and got dressed.

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"Did you find Ling Tong?" Sun Quan asked the soldier who had returned from a search mission.

The soldier bowed and shook his head. "Nay, milord."

"What about his body?" the king winced but the question needed to be asked.

"No, milord."

Sun Quan sighed in relief and sank down at his seat.

"What about Ning Xue?" Lu Xun queried, worried for the safety of his friends.

"We did not find her either but scouts reported seeing her rode towards Lord Ling Tong." the soldier replied, bowing low to the strategist in respect.

"Are you sure?" Lu Xun pressed.

"Yes, milord."

The Wu officer paced around the room restlessly. There had been no news of his two friends and the army of Wu had retreated several _li_. He was afraid that his friends might be hiding behind the enemies lines and they would be in grave danger if they were discovered.

Turning to the king, the strategist bowed. "Milord, please allow me to lead a search party. They are still alive, I just know it."

Sun Quan smiled sadly at the young officer and shook his head. "No, Lu Xun. The enemy is on high alert and they will no doubt be scouting around. I cannot risk another of my officer."

"But, Ling Tong and Ning Xue..." Lu Xun started to protest but seeing his lord's raised hand, he stopped himself.

"We will hold out here for a few more days and hope they can make it back in time. Our supplies will only last us five more days. We must retreat back to Jian Ye on the third day."

"I'm sorry, Lu Xun. My plan had failed utterly. I have underestimated Zhang Liao and Cao Cao. We have been defeated, this time." Zhou Yu's solemn voice said. He looked sadly at the young strategist and placed one hand on his shoulder to console him.

Lu Xun nodded and flashed a small appreciating smile at the senior strategist; he knew that they had made the right decision. With their supply route disrupted by the enemy, they could not put up a resistance for too long. To make matters worse, Cao Cao had sent reinforcements to He Fei and Zhang Liao had nearly the same number of troops as the army of Wu now. The plan to attack He Fei had failed. The Wu navy was nearing the city of He Fei only to discover the purple signal in the sky; Gan Ning had ordered a retreat back and the naval forces were able to reinforce the retreating soldiers on land.

The strategist sighed, his brow furrowed. He was very worried for his friends, especially for the girl who was in her first battle. He hoped that the friends were together, at least they could take care of one another but he had no way to find that out. He sighed again and prayed sincerely to the heavens for the safety of his friends.

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**Notes:**

Aww, no votes for Ling Tong? lol


	11. Chapter 11: Water Woes

**Reviews:**

conor: Welcome, ahh, Lu Xun gets all the votes. Can't say I'm surprise, he's a pretty boy. :D

Blizzard209: Uh-Oh, Ling Tong might get a bit of a reaction, well read on to find out. :P

(Sin) : I'm beginning to feel sad for Ling Tong, poor guy but sometimes the underdog scored. wink wink. :p

runickenaz: Welcome and thank you for your review. Yeah, I love Ling Tong's sarcasm too. I thought my writing style's a little awkward but I'm trying to practise it. I'm so glad you like the writing so far. :D Ah, the suffix 'er' is actually used by close friends, families. For example: Jiang Wei, his mother can probably call him Wei-er or his elder siblings can use that as well. If the person is a female, then her fiance or betrothed or husband may use that suffix too. In this case, Ning Xue allows Lu Xun to call her as Xue-er symbolise she see Lu Xun as a close friend and as well as perhaps something more. Normally, a male friend must obtained permission from the female to use it. So Ling Tong hasn't got that privilege yet.

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**Notes:**

Yeah, for all you Lu Xun lovers, lol, some mushy stuff ahead and graphical kissing scene, but if you don't like that kind of scenes, you can skip the third part. Well, hopefully I didn't overdo it, I do tend to get carried away sometimes. Enjoy.

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**Chapter 11 : Water Woes**

"Lord Lu Xun!" a messenger ran unannounced into the strategist's tent and bowed low.

Lu Xun glanced up from his books and frowned at the intrusion. "What is..." he asked in a tired voice lined with slight irritation. The strategist had not slept a wink for two days and there were dark circles under his eyes; the wellbeing of his two friends was constantly on his mind.

"Lord Ling Tong and Lady Ning Xue had returned." the messenger seemed to sense the good news he brought would pleased his lord, and blurted out the message without waiting for the strategist to finish his question.

Lu Xun's tired eyes lit up and he jumped up from his seat, hitting his knee against the low table. "Where are they?" he asked, running over to the messenger and held him up by his collar.

"Milord, have mercy." the frightened soldier pleaded, thinking that the strategist was going to punish him for dashing into his tent. Lu Xun checked himself, and dropped the messenger quickly, slightly embarrassed at his excitement. "They are in Lord Sun Quan's tent. Lord Ling Tong is injured." the messenger answered quickly, fearful he might earn his lord's wrath for any delay.

The strategist winced when he heard about his friend's injuries. With a quick wave of his hand, he dismissed the soldier and went towards the king's tent. The messenger scrambled away quickly, glad to escape unharmed.

* * *

"My respects to you, milord." Lu Xun stepped into Sun Quan's tent and greeted him.

The king smiled at him. "Ah, you came to see your friends, didn't you?" he said in a slightly teasing tone.

The strategist colored slightly and he smiled nervously at his lord. "I'm sorry to disturb you, milord."

"Well, Ling Tong is injured; I have sent him back to his tent to rest. As for the girl, you'll be pleased to know that she's not wounded."

Lu Xun's heart felt lighter as he took in the good news from his lord. He could not quite hide his grin and when he met Sun Quan's eyes, the king smiled knowingly.

"They have both been rewarded handsomely. Ling Tong had earned merit for his bravery and for protecting me. Ning Xue had been promoted to Major for saving her commander and for her bravery. I believe you can find them in their tents."

The Wu officer beamed; he quickly bowed and excused himself, eager to see his friends again. He made his way to Ling Tong's tent.

"Hey, Boyan." the martial artist sat up on his bed when he saw the strategist entered.

Lu Xun took in the sight of his friend and winced; his naked torso was wrapped in bandages and a dressing was pasted on one cheek. His arms were decorated with scratches and bruises that were starting to fade. "You look terrible." he commented, frowning slightly.

Ling Tong chuckled. "I know, do you have to rub it in?" he winked at his friend.

The strategist smiled. He placed a stool next to the martial artist and sat down. "How are you feeling?" he asked in a concern tone.

"Been better." the martial artist rolled his eyes playfully and laughed.

Lu Xun chuckled as well. "You seemed to be in good spirits." he observed.

Ling Tong nodded. "Yeah, glad to be back. Too bad we lost the war." he said with a sigh.

The strategist nodded. "We've underestimated Cao Cao."

"So, have you seen Pastry Girl yet?" Ling Tong asked slyly, wondering if his friend had visited the girl before him.

The strategist laughed knowingly. "No, I came to see you first."

"Oh..." the martial artist sounded disappointed before he started laughing again. "Well, I thought I might be able to chastise you a little, if you go see a girl first before your best friend."

Lu Xun shook his head and grinned. "Well... you should get some rest. I'm going to see Xue-er now." He got up and walked towards the exit. Just before he left the tent, he turned around and said. "We are marching back tomorrow. You better get as much rest as you can tonight."

Ling Tong just grinned at him.

* * *

Ning Xue sat besides a small stream, picked up some nearby pebbles and threw them one by one into the water, watching the ripples appeared and faded away. She thought about the man she had killed in the war and sighed. The image of her victim gurgling in his own blood was still clear in her mind; she could almost smell his blood and see the desperation and shock in his eyes. She frowned and winced as she wondered if she had killed someone's husband or a child's father or perhaps some elderly folks' only child. War had brought nothing but death, leaving the widows and children to survive without their breadwinner.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not hear Lu Xun approached from behind.

"Xue-er."

The girl jumped up at his voice, startled. One foot landed on a loose rock and she slipped, falling in the stream. As soon as she landed into the water, the girl started to struggle frantically even though the stream was a shallow one. "Save me, Xun. I'm drowning..." she screamed in fright.

Lu Xun thought the girl was playing a joke on him and rolled his eyes. The water level was only up to his knees, there was no way the girl could drown. So the strategist grinned at the struggling girl instead, not lifting a hand to pull her up. "I'm not falling for that." he said jokingly.

"What are you doing? Xun, save me... Help... I can't swim..." she flapped her arms wildly; her eyes went wide with fear and struggled more vigorously. "Help, Xun. I'm scared of water, please..."

The Wu officer tilted his head in confusion but seeing how distressed the girl was, he reached forward and pulled her up, preparing himself in case she was playing a trick on him and pulled him down into the water instead. But the girl did not; she clinched onto his arm tightly and climbed onto him. Her legs wrapped around him, refusing to touch the water below.

"Ouch, Xue-er..." Lu Xun cringed as he felt her nails dug into his flesh. Not knowing what to do, he retreated back a few steps, away from the stream. It was only then; the girl seemed to relax her grip slightly, though her eyes were still wild.

"Xue-er? There is no water here." he coaxed, feeling his neck straining as the girl clung onto him with her weight.

The girl glanced down and let go of the man, standing unsteadily besides him. Lu Xun held her as she regained her balance. When she did, she looked at the strategist and slapped him hard across his face.

Lu Xun's hand went to his sore cheek instantly and his ears ringing from the assault. He stared in shock at the girl and she glared back at him angrily. "I was drowning, why did you just watch?" her furious words came out barely audible but the strategist understood her all the same.

He shook his head and said with a hint of exasperation in his voice. "I thought you were playing a joke on me."

She continued to stare daggers at him. "Look at the water depth. It is only up to your knees. All you have to do is to stand up. There is no way you can drown there." he pointed at the shallow stream.

The girl took a quick look at the water and realized he was right. Her expression softened and she winced. "Sorry, Xun. I... I'm really scared of water."

The strategist sighed in frustration and scowled at her. "This is the second time you slap me." he complained, rubbing at his sore cheek slightly to sooth away the sting.

"I'm truly sorry." Ning Xue removed his hand on his face and caressed his cheek gently. She felt the strategist tensed at her touch but he did not flinch. She gazed into his dark eyes and saw her reflection in his shiny orbs. The girl leaned forward and planted a small kiss on the strategist's bruised cheek.

As she withdrew, she noticed his face turned crimson; she thought he looked so adorable and found herself looking intensely at him. Her unblinking eyes found their way down to his lips and saw it moved. She felt an overwhelming desire to kiss him and she moved nearer to him; his eyes still held her gaze. She felt her lips brushed lightly against his; it was soft and warm and he parted his lips slightly, surprised at the touch. She closed the distance between them and felt her lips connected with his, feeling the warmth and desire. She felt him respond, kissing her back gently at first, gaining momentum as he began to kiss her fervently with his eyes closed. She closed her eyes as well, letting her sense of touch savored the moment.

The girl felt the strategist's hand reached up to the back of her neck and pulled her closer towards him, his lips pressed firmly against hers; the other hand surrounded her waist and slid up her back. Ning Xue moaned at the strange sensation she was experiencing. She felt his tongue teasing her lips and she opened her mouth only to let his tongue entered and touched hers.

She was out of breath, panting slightly and broke the kiss. Lu Xun was breathless as well as she watched him inhaled deeply and met her gaze, his cheeks flushing. Ning Xue saw him leaned towards her for another kiss and she could hear her heart beating wildly in anticipation.

She sensed his hot breath on her as he kissed her ardently on her cheek down to her neck and nuzzled at it, holding her close to him at the same time. Ning Xue arched her head backwards in response, to let him gain more access to her neck. She had never felt this way before and the sensation mesmerized her. She felt his fingers in her hair, entwined in her locks and she touched his jade smooth face with her fingers, letting one finger ran down one side of his face. He let out a soft moan at her touch.

Suddenly he stopped and removed his hands from her. Ning Xue opened her eyes to protest but caught the look of surprise in his eyes. He stared behind her, shock evident on his reddening face. She turned back and found Ling Tong staring at them from a distance with a horrified expression visibly on his face. She did not know why but her cheeks felt hot and flustered, like a child caught stealing candy. Lu Xun let go of her abruptly and took a few steps away from her, his eyes focused on the martial artist with a guilty expression. She glanced back at Ling Tong and saw him grimaced when he met her eyes. He blinked hard and his eyes became slightly red before he turned around and limped away, as quickly as his injured thigh allowed him to.

When she turned her attention back to the strategist, he could not meet her eyes. "I'm sorry, Xue-er. I don't know what came over me." he shook his head and stared at the ground. "I think..." he paused and bit his lips. "I think I've hurt Gongji."

Ning Xue felt her jaw dropped. "What? You... you mean don't like... it?" she stammered, feeling embarrassed for the first time in her life.

Lu Xun shook his head, not looking at her or giving any indication he had heard her. Ning Xue felt a sharp pain in her heart at his response. Then he glanced up and met her eyes for a brief moment before turning away, shaking his head again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it. You... You are only a young girl, you don't know what you're doing." he struggled with his words. "I... I should go and talk to Gongji." He retreated a few more steps from the girl, gave her an apologetic look and ran after the martial artist.

Ning Xue felt her eyes stinging with unshed tears; she watched his retreating back until he disappeared from her sight completely. She was unwilling to believe what she had just heard. She desperately told herself, he was just kidding and they had joked a lot in the past. But a voice in her head reminded her that this was the cruelest joke anyone had played on her. She found herself agreeing and fresh pain stabbed at her heart. She inhaled deeply to calm herself but her breathing refused to be regulated and she started to pant instead, taking in quick gulps of air but she was still struggling to breathe. Her legs refused to support her weight and the girl sank down on the ground, allowing the tears that she could not contained, to course down her cheeks. She refused to cry, knowing that she would find no relief in wailing.


	12. Chapter 12: Ning Xue Is Sick

**Reviews:**

Blizzard209: Ling Tong will definitely lose the race, at least for now. Lu Xun will apologise for his ungentlemanly behavior. :D

(Sin) : Thank you so much. Yes, Ling Tong is feeling very hurt and confused. He's going to have a good talk with Lu Xun soon after he cooled down. And perhaps sort out his feelings for Ning Xue.

runickenaz: I do agree that I would like to see more Ling Tong romance too, other than with Gan Ning. I don't mind yaoi but it is good to have variety sometimes.

starofdestiny : Oh dear, I'm not sure if you were upset about what Lu Xun did or perhaps it was something else? Well, Lu Xun will get a chance to apologise for his conduct soon and there's going to more angst in the story. I hope you like angst but please feel free to comment your thoughts. :)

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**Notes:**

Actually, originally I would have let Ling Tong get the girl but now, I'm not so certain. I have half a heart to write two alternate endings to this story but only if there's demand for it. So drop me a hint if you can.

This is a revised version of chapter 12. I rewrote some of the more awkward sentences and corrected the over-usage of the word 'wince'.

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**Chapter 12: Ning Xue is Sick**

"Get out!" Ling Tong threw a stool at the strategist when he came into his tent.

Lu Xun jumped aside in time to avoid being hit by the flying chair. "Gongji..."

"Shut up! And don't call me." he snapped, throwing a pillow at the unwelcome guest.

The strategist dodged the pillow and moved a few steps into the martial artist's tent. "Hear me out..." A cup flew towards him; the Wu officer ducked and cringed as he heard the porcelain cup broke into pieces behind him.

Ling Tong felt his fingers grabbed a stack of papers and dropped them promptly, looking around for something that can be hurled with more force. He found an inkpad on his desk and grabbed it. "Get out of my sight!" he shouted, threatening to throw the object at the strategist.

"Ling Tong!" Lu Xun yelled back.

The martial artist paused for a moment, not used to hear his formal full name being used by his friend. The strategist seized the opportunity and walked up to him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you..." he began but was cut off when Ling Tong rose to his full height and stared menacingly at him, crutching his fist so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Lu Xun recognized his friend's rage and swallowed hard. He knew that look; it meant Ling Tong was enraged, furious beyond reason. "I didn't know you like her." he said, taking a step backwards from the furious man.

"You could have told me earlier, that you two were... I would not have... fallen so..." he scowled at the strategist, hidden pain flashed in his eyes beneath the cover of anger. "Get out of my sight before I beat you up!" he snarled, trembling visibly to contain his rage. "Get out NOW!" he raised one hand and the strategist flinched, thinking that the martial artist was going to hit him but he pointed at the tent exit instead. "OUT!"

Lu Xun sighed; he knew his friend's temper well. He would have to try later after the martial artist had simmered down. The strategist walked stiffly out of the tent.

Ling Tong sank down in his bed, his fury spent yet the throbbing pain in his heart had not lessened. He buried his face in his hands, replaying the scene of his two friends frolicking in his mind. He could see that they desired each other, the way his friend held Ning Xue, and showered her with ardent kisses and the way she responded to his touch. He felt his heart ached, and his pride wounded. It was everything he had hoped to share with Ning Xue yet he could only watch.

When did they start feeling for each other? The martial artist sighed; Ning Xue was nice to him even though she loved to bicker with him over the most trivial stuff. All the little bickerings they had, warmed his heart and he found himself jabbing sarcasm at her or teasing the girl whenever he got the chance to. He would do anything to get a response from the silly girl, anything to see her smile or frown in annoyance when he irritated her.

Ling Tong smiled bitterly as he recounted the funny memories and realized that each beautiful memory was now a bitter irony served only as a cruel reminder. He shook his head and sniffed back tears. He had thought perhaps he had a chance to woo her, after all, she had gone all the way to rescue him when he was in peril; that had to mean something. Ling Tong shook his head to clear his mind. He was so confused and hurt. Why had he missed all the signals? If Ning Xue had no such feelings for him, why did she let him get so close to her?

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"Are you alright, Lu Xun?" Zhou Yu rode besides his student and glanced at him with a concern look. He noted the dark circles and the strategist's eyes were red, obviously from lack of sleep. It was plain to the perceptive strategist that his student had not slept a wink the night before.

Lu Xun adjusted his hat and forced a smile at his teacher. "I'm fine, Master Zhou Yu, just a little tired."

The senior strategist nodded. "Is something bothering you?"

The younger strategist shook his head and looked away to avoid his master's sharp gaze. "I'm... just thinking of the war." he lied.

"Lu Xun, if you don't want to talk about it, I will not force you. But..." the senior general paused and frowned at the boy, "do not lie to me again."

Lu Xun quickly apologized to his teacher. "I didn't mean to, I'm very sorry, Master Zhou Yu. Please forgive me. "

Zhou Yu smiled kindly at his student. "If you want to talk to someone, you can come to me." Saying that, he urged his horse onwards and caught up with Sun Quan.

Lu Xun let out a breath in relief and stole a glance at Ning Xue who rode on the other side of the marching army. He found her slumped morosely in her saddle with a preoccupied frown on her face. The strategist winced as he remembered he had callously left the girl forlorn near the stream, especially after what he did to her.

Thunder boomed in the vicinity and it started to drizzle. Behind the general, the soldiers hastened to cover the provision carts. Lu Xun glanced at the cloudy sky and from the thickness of the dark clouds; he knew the rain would continue for the rest of the day. He glanced back at Ning Xue and found her gaze still transfixed on the ground. The strategist was slightly surprised that the girl had not moved an inch. He knew Ning Xue hated the rain or getting wet and would make a big fuss if she was not sheltered from the wet weather.

Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a loud booming thunder and the rain became heavier. Lu Xun saw the girl jumped, startled by the thunder; she scanned around in mild surprise as though she had just noticed the rain. Her wandering eyes met his gaze and Lu Xun saw her frowned bitterly at him, like he was the last person she wanted to see and turned away from him abruptly. The strategist sighed; he knew that he had upset the girl and would need to apologize to her soon.

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Ning Xue woke up with a terrible headache. She sat up on the bed with some effort, her head felt heavier than usual. "Perhaps, it was the rain yesterday." she grumbled, rubbing at her temples to sooth away the pain. She felt a little cold and shrugged, putting the blame on the cool weather. She glanced around her new room that was allocated to her after she was promoted and quirked a smile. It was much larger than her old quarters and nicely decorated. There was even a desk in her room, stocked with some blank scrolls and ink. Opposite her bed, she saw her sword hung over her armor which had been polished and cleaned by the serving maids. On the chair next to her bed, were a change of clothes neatly folded. The girl took the clothes and donned them.

Out of the room, Ning Xue squinted her eyes against the sun's glare; it was a hot sunny day though the girl still shivered. She made her way into the garden which provided some shade against the bright light and chose an empty pavilion, drawing her sword and ran her fingers along the blade lovingly.

A distance away, Ling Tong caught sight of the girl in the pavilion and winced; the image of his two friends at the stream came into his mind. He turned around half-heartedly to leave but he had hardly made two steps when he glanced back with a resigned sigh. He watched her polished her sword meticulously, not once glancing his way. The martial artist frowned when he noticed how unusually pale the girl was. He was content to watch her from afar but at this moment, Ning Xue looked up and their eyes met.

She offered him a small smile and walked towards him unsteadily. She started to feel dizzy and had to slow down her steps. Ling Tong rushed forward to help her. "Are you alright?" He caught her just as her steps faltered and she collapsed.

As soon as he touched her, Ling Tong knew the girl was sick. He placed one palm on her forehead and found it scorching hot. "You are sick, Pastry Girl. Let me help you to your room."

Ning Xue could hardly protest as she felt her strength weakening and allowed herself to be escorted back to her room.

Ling Tong called for a physician while he fussed over the girl, ordering her to drink the cup of water he poured and made sure that she remained in her bed.

After the doctor examined the girl, he advised her to get ample rest and went to talk to the martial artist. "The lady's constitution is weak, she is running a temperature. I have a prescription for her, send someone to gather the herbs listed here and concoct into a mixture for her." The physician handled a piece of paper to the general.

"I will take care of her. Thank you, doctor." Ling Tong waved at a eunuch and instructed him to follow the physician and collect the required herbs.

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Ning Xue wrinkled her nose at the smelly dark liquid that was to be her medicine. She swallowed hard at the sight of the thick disgusting fluid and poured it over a flower pot. Then she quickly replaced the empty bowl on the table, whistling innocently at her mischief. Her headache had cleared after a few hours' rest and she was starting to feel restless again. She was still feeling cold, a sign that her fever had not subsided but it did not bother her as much as before.

Ling Tong entered her room and was pleased to find that the empty bowl. "Good girl, I was afraid I had to force it down your throat." he said with a mischievous grin.

"Well, it's not that bad actually." the girl stifled a laugh.

Ling Tong raised an eyebrow doubtfully. He took the bowl, sniffed it and winced. "_That had to be disgusting._" However, he shrugged at the girl and smiled.

Ning Xue took her sword on the wall and was going to leave the room when the martial artist barred her way. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to spar with Lu Meng today." She shoved the surprise general aside but he quickly pulled her back.

"You are sick, Pastry Girl. You are going back to bed." he said, pointed at her unmade bed.

"No, I'm bored besides I feel well. Please, Ling Tong, let me go..." she tugged at his sleeve and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

The martial artist let out an exasperated sigh and opened the door for the girl. "I'm going with you just in case you get into trouble."


	13. Chapter 13: Streak of Bad Luck

**Reviews:**

Blizzard209: Indeed. Personally I'm quite fond of angst, it just makes the ending alot sweeter. :D

(Sin) : Thank you so much for your support. )

runickenaz: Thank you so much for your constructive review. I've replaced chapter 12 with a revised version.

xqtruegracexq : I can promise you this, Lu Xun will apologise in the next chapter. He's got Lu Meng's help. Actually Lu Xun wasn't toying with Ning Xue. His close friendship with Ling Tong put him in a difficult position. He had to make a choice between friendship and romance and he had chosen friendship at that point.

bluestarryskies: Ah, don't worry about it. Thank you for your contiual support. Strangely, I actually like Ling Tong more than Lu Xun, just a little bit more. Koei made him so funny and sarcastic. He would say, "What did I do to deserve this?" when he's struggling. That was something that always make me laugh.

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**Chapter 13: Streak of Bad Luck**

Ning Xue swung her sword at the pale general, leaving her guard opened. He ducked and charged at her as she struggled to withdraw her blade in time to parry his strike. Lu Meng caught her gaze and grinned in a superior manner; the girl stuck out her tongue at him.

Near the two warriors, Ling Tong stood with his arms crossed and observed the fight. He was particularly concerned about the girl who had barely recovered from her illness. He had intended to stop the fight, the moment the female warrior showed any signs of weakness.

Lu Meng counterattacked the girl's strikes, thrusting his polearm at Ning Xue and allowed her to parry his strong attacks. He was particularly impressed when the girl dodged one thrust of his weapon, twisted her body and swept his feet. The pale general grinned and showed a thumb at the girl. He picked himself up from the ground and resumed his furious attacks.

A distance away, Ling Tong heard a girl giggled and turned around. He saw Lu Xun and a beautiful girl walked towards the sparring field with two serving maids followed close behind. The strategist seemed to be entertaining the girl with his conversation and she smiled shyly at him. Ling Tong did not recognize his companion immediately though he found her familiar. The strategist must have made a joke because the girl laughed louder and she placed one hand on his shoulders to support herself. Ling Tong frowned at that gesture, worried that Ning Xue might be distracted if she got sight of Lu Xun with another female. He stole a glance at the female warrior and realized she had seen them.

Ning Xue stared at Lu Xun; the sight of him with his female companion standing so close to him, distracted her from her fight. She could not remove her eyes from him and thus did not see Lu Meng's polearm thrusting at her. It happened so quickly that Ning Xue did not realized it until she felt an intense pain in her shoulder, her eyes went wide with shock as she glanced down and saw the polearm impaled in her flesh. She started to hyperventilate. Ning Xue saw Lu Meng winced he withdrew his weapon, threw it aside and stretched his hands to hold her.

The girl felt her body went into shock as more blood flowed from her wound. Her eyes met Lu Xun's widened eyes and saw him running towards her frantically, calling her name. She also heard other urgent voices called her but she did not recognize them. She felt herself kneeled, her hands grasped at the wound and as she collapsed, someone held her and shook her gently. As her vision began to fade, the last thing Ning Xue remembered was Lu Xun's worried face as he applied pressure on her bleeding wound.

"Guards! Get the physician!" Ling Tong yelled frantically as he carried the wounded girl and ran into her room. He placed her as gently as he could on her bed and tore off her crimson-colored sleeve to examine the wound closely. It was quite a deep gash and the wound was still bleeding profusely. Luckily, Lu Meng managed to withdrew his polearm in time to prevent two more puncture holes in her flesh; the general's weapon had three blades and it was the middle longest blade that had stabbed the girl.

Lu Xun came running with the medical box and pulled out some bandages and offered it to the martial artist. Ling Tong scowled at him and snatched the bandages roughly from his hands. He unrolled it and started to wrap the girl's wound.

Lu Meng brought the physician to the girl. The elderly doctor took one look at the unconscious girl and frowned. Then looking at the three generals in the room, he ushered the men out and shut the door.

Lu Meng scowled at himself for his carelessness and sighed. Ling Tong patted him on his shoulder and consoled him. "It's not your fault."

The pale general glanced at the tall officer and frowned. "I should have been more careful." he said with regret.

"Gongji's right. It's not your fault." Lu Xun interjected, drawing a disapproving glance from Ling Tong.

The martial artist scoffed at him and poked at his chest. "It's YOUR fault! Are you trying to get her killed?" he yelled.

Lu Meng raised one eyebrow in confusion at the outburst but decided to watch it played out.

"Of course not. How can you say that?" Lu Xun retreated a step from the angry officer.

"Then why are you flirting with another woman!" the martial artist retorted.

"I was not!" Lu Xun retorted and inhaled deeply to calm himself. "And be careful who you insult, Gongji. That was no ordinary woman."

"Oh really? Why? Did I break your heart when I insult that loose woman? Geeze, what kind of _decent_ woman would throw herself at your knees?" Ling Tong replied derisively, deliberately insulted the strategist's companion.

Lu Xun gave the martial artist an affronted look as he fumed over his friend's words. Lu Meng stepped in between the two generals, faced the martial artist and coughed awkwardly. "Ling Tong, have you any idea who you had just insulted?"

"No, and I don't care." the martial artist crossed his arms across his chest defensively.

Lu Meng sighed; it was just like Ling Tong to be so impulsive. "That lady is the princess, Ling Tong. You have just insulted Princess Ting. You do recall she's the only daughter of our late Lord Sun Ce and Lady Qiao, right?"

The martial artist's jaw dropped and he stared at the pale general in disbelief. "No way..." he stammered.

Lu Meng grinned and nodded. "You are so quick tempered. But I do believe we will keep this conversation between ourselves." Turning to Lu Xun, the general quirked a smile at him. "Right, Lu Xun?"

The strategist nodded, unable to hide a grin as he looked at his friend's stunned expression.

"Alright, fine... I take back my words about the princess. But I still want to know what's going on between you and Pastry Girl." the martial artist said to his friend, his tone softening.

Lu Xun frowned. "Xue-er's angry with me... I was going to have a talk with her when I ran into the princess. Princess Ting wanted to ask my opinion on a poem she wrote and I couldn't refuse... That's how we ended up walking into the fields." The strategist let out an exasperated sign.

"Why is she angry with you? What did you do?" Ling Tong persisted.

"I don't know. I think it has something to do with the fact that I ran after you, that day... and left her at the stream. I probably shouldn't have left her alone." the strategist replied.

"You what?" Ling Tong's eyes widened in shock. "You stupid fool! How can you leave a girl alone after... after you kissed her. What is she going to think - that you just wanted to have fun with her?" He grabbed the strategist's collar and shook him.

Lu Meng raised one curious brow at the martial artist's words and sighed. He took one look at the agitated general and held him back. He glanced at the reddening strategist and realization dawned on him. _So they both like the same girl._ It was easy for him to piece together the story from the two officers' dialogue.

The room door opened and the physician stepped out, looking very tired. He took one glance at the trio and grumbled. "Did you realize that you were making a lot of noise?"

The generals winced. Ling Tong pulled at the elderly doctor's sleeves. "How is she?"

"Lord Ling Tong. Did you give the lady her medicine?" the physician asked.

"What medicine, doctor?" Lu Xun interrupted, worry evident in his eyes. Turning to the martial artist, he asked. "Was Xue-er sick?"

Ling Tong rolled his eyes irritably. "Shut up, Boyan. You didn't even know she's sick. I really don't know what she sees in you..." he said bitterly and ignored the strategist.

"Lord Lu Xun, the lady had a temperature. I gave lord Ling Tong a prescription for her." the doctor explained wearily.

"I gave her the medicine!" the martial artist exclaimed.

"Did you see her drink it?" the old man asked.

Ling Tong shook his head. "But I saw the empty bowl..."

"She must have poured it away... " Lu Xun caught on the doctor's hint.

The physician nodded at the strategist. "Yes, I believe Lord Lu Xun is right... I have stitched up her wound. She was bleeding internally but I had used my needles to stop her bleeding. Her slight fever might have complicated things but the lady is very lucky."

Lu Xun opened his mouth to say something but the martial artist beat him to it. "Does that mean she's alright now?" Ling Tong asked.

"Yes, lord Ling Tong. The lady's is resting. She needs lots of rest and please do not agitate her. As long as she does not tear her wound, she will be fine. I will come again tomorrow to change her dressing... Now, if you'll excuse me, it has been a long day." The physician bowed to the generals and walked away, grumbling to himself.

Lu Xun walked towards the room door and found the martial artist barring his way. "What are you doing, Gongji?"

"I will not let you see her." Ling Tong replied defiantly.

"You can't do this. I need to talk to Xue-er." The strategist was very frustrated.

"I am not letting you go in and agitate her. Didn't you hear what the doctor say?" he replied curtly.

"I won't upset her. Just move aside, Gongji."

"Stop this nonsense, both of you!" Lu Meng interrupted. "I will not have two distinguished Wu officers made a scene outside a lady's chambers. Do you have any idea how ridiculous you both looked?" he reprimanded.

Lu Xun stared at his shoes in shame; he knew Lu Meng was right.

"I just want to protect her..." Ling Tong answered wearily but he stepped aside.

"I will talk to the girl. Both of you are barred from her room until I say otherwise. Is that clear?" Lu Meng commanded, exercising his authority over the two younger officers.

They both nodded.

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"Hey..." Lu Meng moved to the girl when he saw her moved.

She met his concerned gaze and smiled weakly at him. "Hey..." she croaked, her voice hoarsed from her sleep.

"How are you feeling?"

"I won't die." she grinned and tried to move her arm.

"I'm glad you can still joke. Just take it easy for a few days." Lu Meng smiled back, obviously relieved.

The girl nodded. "This is a small wound, I should be able to spar with you again in a week."

Lu Meng's eyes widened. "A week, you're kidding right? You could have die... And there's no way you can use that arm in seven days."

Ning Xue laughed. "My body heals fast." she said. "Just promise you won't stop sparing with me because of this."

The pale general looked surprised; he was indeed having second thoughts about sparing with the girl again. "I'm sorry, Ning Xue. I should have paid more attention..." he offered her an apologetic look.

The girl shook her head. "I was afraid you would say something like that. It's not your fault. I was the ONE who didn't pay attention... Please... stop feeling remorseful over something that's not your fault."

Lu Meng smiled; he looked at her with mild respect in his eyes. "You seemed to mature a bit after the war." he observed.

Ning Xue let out a sigh and shrugged. "Perhaps."

The two remained silent for a short while. Lu Meng wondered how he should raise the question about her two friends. He met her eyes and found her looking expectantly at him. "You want to tell me something..." she said; it was not a question.

Lu Meng smiled, impressed at her perception. "What makes you think so, girl?" he asked curiously.

"Easy, you would have left after seeing I'm fine, unless there's something else you want to say." she replied smoothly.

The pale general chuckled and nodded. "Yes, very true. Perhaps one day you might make a good strategist if you study hard." he paused and took a deep breath. His expression turned to his usual grim, stern look. "There is something I want to ask you... Are you aware that two officers are... perhaps in love with you?"

Ning Xue blinked and stared at the general.

"You know what it means, don't you?" he asked again, thinking that the young girl might not understand his question.

Ning Xue nodded shyly, feeling her cheeks blushing. "Yes, Ling Tong explained to me what Love is... I believe I understand your question, however, who are you refering to?" She leaned onto her good arm and tried to sit up.

Lu Meng helped her and let her rest against the bed post. "I'm refering to Lu Xun and Ling Tong."

Ning Xue's jaw dropped. "Ling Tong?"

"You didn't know your commanding officer is rather fond of you?" Lu Meng inquired.

The girl shook her head, blinking in surprise. "He was always teasing me... I never thought that he..." She glanced up and met the general's eyes with a defiant look. "As for Lu Xun, you are mistaken... He does not feel for me that way..." she stated firmly.

"Are you certain of that? Because the two officers were arguing over you just now. It is clear to me they are both fond of you." the general replied.

Ning Xue looked thoughtful at his response. "Xun likes me?" she asked. Her heart beating wildly at the general's words. She thought about the scene at the stream and chewed on her lips thoughtfully. "If he really likes me, why did he run away?" she murmured to herself.

Lu Meng raised an eyebrow, having heard the girl's soft words. "I believe I can answer that, girl." he quirked a smile and continued. "From what I'd heard, he went after Ling Tong. The two of them had always been best friends. He must have realized how hurt the poor boy was and rushed off to lessen his pain."

"So you think he didn't left me there on purpose?" The girl looked expectantly at the general for his answer.

The general shook his head.

"I see..." she said, giving the general a relieved grin.

Lu Meng grinned; it was clear to him who the girl fancied but he wondered how Ling Tong would react to that. "I see, you have made your choice among the two... there's still the matter of telling your choice to Ling Tong. I know that won't be an easy task. I also hope that you will take their close friendship into consideration when you tell them."

"Lu Meng... Surely you don't think they'll be enemies because of me?" she asked, frowning at that thought.

The general shook his head. "I'm just saying, its a delicate issue. My advise to you is to handle with care."


	14. Chapter 14: Reconcilation

**Reviews:**

Blizzard209: Ahh, I'm leaving Ling Tong's reaction for the next chapter, so a little more suspense there. )

(Sin) : New chapter dedicated to you, thank you so much for your wonderful support.

runickenaz: I made an assumption regarding the names in this story. As far as I know, style names are known as courtesy names. The actual names for the officers are only used among good friends. For this story, I have completely switched that because of the simple fact that in this DW world, not many people can related to the officers' style name. My apologies for not specifying that earlier. Thank you for voicing your concerns. )

RisingStarofDestiny: hehe, I did intend to have a little twist involving Lady Ting but I'm still sitting on that idea. Was it too obvious for you? lol.

bluestarryskies: Yeah, lack of range's pretty bad but there's an item (wind guard, I think) that can help with it, to some extent.

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**Notes:**

Sorry for the delay, work was hectic this week and I ran out of inspiration to write. Hopefully this chapter isn't too bad.

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**Chapter 14: Reconcilation**

Sun Quan slammed his fist on the desk angrily and threw the petition he was reading on the floor. "How dare that Liu Bei ignore my repeated demands to return Jing province!"

Zhou Yu coughed and bended down to pick up the petition, and scanned the document. He looked up from the scroll with a frown when he felt warm breath on his neck. The strategist turned around and saw Lu Xun peeking at the document from behind. The young officer smiled sheepishly at him when he caught his gaze. With an amused sigh, Zhou Yu gave the document to the officer and sat down on the cushion.

"Well?" Sun Quan asked the strategists, his brow fused together into an irritated expression as he looked expectantly at his officers for their input. It was obvious to his officers that the lord was in an extremely edgy mood and looking for an option to release the frustration.

The senior strategist knew that if any officer brought up a suggestion to go to war, a battle would be inevitable. Zhou Yu let out a sigh. It was one of those times that he missed his late sworn brother's cheerful demeanor the most.

It was Lu Meng that answered the king. He stepped forward and said, with a firm determination in his eyes. "Milord, since Liu Bei's such a jerk and obviously has no intentions of returning the Jing province to us, I will lead an army to take back our city. Let it be known that Wu cannot be bullied!"

"Milord, please allow me to go with Lu Meng." Lu Xun walked next to the pale-faced officer and bowed to the king. He caught Lu Meng's gaze and flashed an equally determined smile at the officer.

Zhou Yu's shoulders slumped at the two officer's earnest responses. It was always the younger officers that were eager to go to war. He scowled at the two officers briefly and returned his attention to his lord. "Jing province is being guarded by Guan Yu, a fierce and powerful general. This will require careful consideration." He replied in a solemn voice.

Sun Quan frowned at the senior strategist, obviously displeased with his response. "This is the fifth time I've sent an envoy to Shu and they had patronized us again." the lord replied grimly, his tone was rampant with disapproval.

The strategist felt a frown forming on his pale visage and forced it down against his will. "If milord desired a war, we will go to battle. I advise caution because while we entangled in a war with Shu, Wei is looking menacingly at us. We must not leave our flank open."

Lu Xun chewed his lips thoughtfully as he gazed at his teacher with respect in his eyes. He understood now why the senior strategist was not as enthusiastic as him on the idea to go to battle. He had assumed that it was because Wu and Shu had an uneasy alliance, with Sun Quan's sister married to the Shu leader but Zhou Yu had not mentioned a word about the marriage. Instead, the experienced strategist had thought about the possibility of Wei attacking their country.

Sun Quan looked at the strategist in surprise and looked thoughtful as he considered the officer's advice. He thought of his late brother's last words - to obtain Zhou Yu's advice on external affairs - and nodded his assent to the officer. The senior strategist's sound words calmed the lord and the logic appeased him somehow. He wondered if there was anyway around the deadlock situation. "Do you have a strategy, Zhou Yu?" he asked hopefully.

Zhou Yu had to suppress the urge to smile triumphantly at his lord's now reasonable words. He glanced at Lu Xun and repeated the king's question. "Lu Xun, do you want to tell us the idea you are thinking?"

The strategist widened his eyes at his teacher, surprised that he had read his mind and somehow knew he was devising a strategy. The senior strategist quirked an encouraging smile at him, his eyes willing him to convey his thoughts to the others. Lu Xun inhaled deeply and met his lord's inquiring gaze. "Milord, I have an idea but I don't know if it'll work..."

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The king's decision to go to war came swiftly. Lu Xun hesitated outside Ning Xue's room door; his heart willing him to push the close doors, so that he might see the wounded girl but his mind was contemplating what he would say to the girl. He was nervous and he knew it; he could hear his heart beating wildly in anticipation as he ran through the words quickly in his mind. Finally, unable to bear the suspense any longer, he pushed the doors and stepped into the girl's room.

She smiled at him, obviously pleased to see the strategist. Lu Xun inhaled deeply and crossed the distance between them, to her bed where the girl sat with her back resting against one bed post. "Hello Xun..." she greeted him casually.

The strategist grinned at the girl. "Hello, Xue-er. How are you feeling today?" he asked cheerfully, hoping that his lighthearted tone could calm his nerves.

"I'm better. I can move my arm already." she replied with a twinkle in her blue orbs, lifting her injured arm to emphasis her point.

Lu Xun's smile widened. "I'm glad." he replied simply and offered no further words.

"Do you want to sit?" Ning Xue asked, shifting her body inwards and patted at an empty space besides her.

The strategist was about to shook his head when he saw the insistence in her dark eyes. He felt a slight smile touching the corners of his mouth as he moved to sit besides the girl. Lu Xun's heart skipped a beat when one hand brushed lightly against her soft skin. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and met her gaze. He found her staring intensely at him, her blue eyes held his brown orbs as she seemed to look into his soul with her unfaltering stare. Lu Xun felt a bit uneasy under the scrutiny of that haunting and beautiful gaze and swallowed hard. "Why are you staring at me like that?" he looked away and asked in a soft tone, feeling a blush creeping onto his face.

She blinked and looked surprised for a brief moment, not expecting the question but it was quickly replaced with an impish smile. The girl stretched one small hand and grabbed the strategist's and squeezed it. "Xun... Tell me... Do you like me?" her voice was clear and lined with slight amusement but Lu Xun could tell the doubt lingering in her words and the fear behind her clouded eyes as she voiced the question.

The strategist shifted uncomfortably, apparently a little surprised at the question and felt his blush deepened as he struggled to keep his calm demeanor in front of her. He forced down the impulse to nod his head repeatedly like an excited fool and instead try to articulate the emotions he felt into words. He coughed awkwardly and smiled vaguely at her.

He saw Ning Xue sighed and her shoulders drooped slightly, disappointed at his lack of response. She looked hurt and glanced away, inhaling deeply. Lu Xun frowned; that was not what he had in mind. He squeezed her hand that held his and when she turned back to meet his eyes, the strategist leaned forward. His lips brushed softly against hers and he felt her tensed at his touch initially but she took the cue and crushed her lips against his, showering him with fervent kisses.

Lu Xun broke the kiss and panted; he was out of breath and his face was flushing red. He watched Ning Xue and saw her blushed slightly. "You know? I don't think I've ever seen you blush..." he observed, not quite hiding the amusement in his voice.

The girl chuckled. "Hmm... I think I'm more used to making _you_ blush..." she countered.

The strategist raised one eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. "You embarrassed me on purpose?" he asked in a disbelieving tone, thinking of the times the girl had disrupted his calm demeanor and reduced him to a blushing boy.

Ning Xue laughed heartily. "No. I didn't..." she said between her chuckles. "But you looked so cute when you're blushing like red apples..." she added mischievously.

Lu Xun rolled his eyes and stared at her with mocking anger. He could not quite keep up the pretense however and was soon laughing with the girl.

When they have both calmed down, the strategist looked at Ning Xue with a serious expression. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest, letting her feel his heart beating wildly. "Xue-er. I... like you... very much." he stammered, feeling the lump tightened in his throat and coughed awkwardly. He knew that his cheeks were flushing furiously again. He blinked several times and forced the rest of his words out before he lost the courage to speak them. "I think... I can love you..."

Ning Xue's jaw dropped and for a moment, she stared at him helplessly before a small smile appeared and slowly widened into a huge grin. She placed her arms around his neck and drew him roughly into an embrace and held him, shedding tears of relief and happiness onto his garment. "I love you, Xun..." she said into his chest, her voice muffled.

Lu Xun smiled and hugged the girl back, fingers entwined in her silky long tresses.

"I'm going to war, Xue-er..." his soft words came suddenly and the girl broke their embrace abruptly.

"Again?" she grimaced, unable to hide the disgust from her face. When she saw the slight frown on the strategist's face, Ning Xue winced and swallowed the rest of her negative words about wars. "Where?" she asked again in a softer tone.

"Jing province, Xiang Yang. That province was won by Wu. We loaned it to Liu Bei so that he could build his own kingdom but now that the scum has Shu, he refused to return Jing province back to Wu... This time, we will snatch it back." his eyes were filled with a fire that spoke of his determination.

Ning Xue sighed softly and nodded her head. "I will come with you..." she said simply but her eyes betrayed her fear of letting the strategist go to war alone.

Lu Xun shook his head gently at her offer, and pointed at her bandaged shoulder. "No, Xue-er. You are injured..." He replied in a concerned tone.

"I am fine. Look!" she made a move to flex her shoulders, hiding the sharp pain from her face as best as she could.

The strategist raised one hand to stop the girl and stroked the shoulder gently; a pained expression could be seen on his jade smooth face. "Don't do that, Xue-er... I know you want to be there with me but..." he paused and considered how he could dissuade the stubborn girl from her decision. "Your injury would only serve to hinder me..." he continued in a gentle tone, trying to make his words appear less harsh.

He watched the girl winced at his words and looked at him with a faint frown creasing her forehead. He saw her lips moved but no words came out of her mouth. Their eyes remained locked for a moment. Then finally, she sighed and cringed onto his sleeve. "If my wound recovered in time, will you let me come along? Please?" her voice was lined with pleading desperation.

The strategist smiled at his own helplessness to refuse the girl. He knew he could never refuse her anything as long as she looked at him in the same manner as she did at this moment. Her blue eyes shining with hope and anticipation. Lu Xun could not bring himself to crush that fledging gleam of hope in her beautiful eyes. He found himself nodding his head and saw the girl leaned forward to embrace him fiercely. The strategist found himself deepened the embrace as his lips sought out hers and connected fervently.


	15. Chapter 15: Xiang Yang

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : Thank you so much, Sin.

RisingStarofDestiny: Lady Ting may appear as a slight twist after the next two chapters. Pair her up with Ling Tong? That might be fun, considering how the guy insulted her without even knowing who she is. hehe.

bluestarryskies: Ah, thank you for your insight on the style names issue. I'm not too familiar with it as well since modern society seldom uses style names now.

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**Notes:**

I found my muse again. The story's coming to an end soon. Maybe just a few more chapters. If you have ideas for the story, please feel free to send me a message. Thank you and enjoy this chapter, hopefully.

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**Chapter 15: Xiang Yang**

Ling Tong sighed to himself as he took a scroll in the gardens. The cool air of the twilight and the relative quietness of the hour before dawn calmed him tremendously. It was a rare moment where he would stop his daily activities and appreciated the serenity. He gazed up at the sky and smiled at the full moon shining down on him, lighting the otherwise dark garden with a luminous glow. It was a beautiful sight to behold and the martial artist sighed as he thought the moment would be even more perfect if he had the company of a certain girl besides him.

It was a lost cause and Ling Tong knew it. He did not need to be told that he had lost the fight for Ning Xue's love, though he had hardly participated in any battle for her favor. The fact was he could not, not when his rival in love happened to be his one best friend. Moreover, he has realized he stood no chance, not when it was so obvious to him who Ning Xue fancied among her two suitors.

A breeze blew past; the martial artist felt his body shivered slightly. He should have worn that cloak on his chair but he was so distracted with the thoughts of the one girl, that he did not think that it might be cold outside. Ling Tong sighed again; he had forgotten how many times he had exhaled his breath in a dramatic melancholy mood this morning. Yet, no matter how many times he sighed, the throbbing pain in his heart remained. When he recalled her lovely eyes, sparkling with happiness when she sought out his best friend's company, her hands hooked at the strategist's elbow and snuggled close to him. The very image of them together enjoying blissful moments was enough to stab at his heart, painfully reminding the martial artist that she was one girl who was now out of his reach.

"Ning Xue..." he whispered her name, feeling his mouth voiced the words. He clutched at his heart as the throbbing pain intensified. A small tear rolled down his eyes and the martial artist swept it away roughly, angry at his display of weakness.

He thought about their first meeting; he had just emerged from a bath and was going to enjoy the tray of lotus puff pastry - his favorite snack - when he saw the girl with the last puff on her hand and an empty tray besides her. He was absolutely vivid and had glared at her angrily but Ning Xue had only smiled and licked his face. He touched his cheek with one hand subconsciously; the martial artist thought he could still feel the wetness on his face. He had been rather disgusted and shocked when she did it but now, Ling Tong knew he would gladly offer his entire face to her so long as she desired. He never knew that a girl could hold such power over him.

"You're up early, Ling Tong." a smooth voice said from behind, breaking his thoughts.

Ling Tong tensed instantly; he did not need to look at the speaker to identify him. "Morning, Boyan..." he replied in a neutral voice, keeping his back facing the strategist and forced his depressed feelings aside with his will. He was not about to have his best friend feel bad about his broken heart.

"Gongji... Are you alright?" the strategist asked in a concerned voice. The martial artist felt his friend's hand landed on his shoulders and squeezed it; His body tensed at the touch but he did not turn around to face the strategist. Ling Tong offered him a small nod instead.

"Gongji..." Lu Xun positioned himself in front of the tall general and forced him to meet his worried gaze. "What's wrong?" he queried, a slight frown appearing on his handsome face as he studied his friend's expression.

"I'm fine!" he replied curtly, in a tone harsher than the martial artist had intended. He frowned when he saw the strategist winced and offered an apologetic look to him. "I think... I caught a chill or something..." that was his excuse and his apology for snapping at his friend.

Lu Xun nodded, apparently accepted his words. "So, I guess you're not going to Xiang Yang, _right_?"

It was probably meant as a statement but the strategist's emphasis on the last word told the martial artist otherwise. He met his friend's hopeful eyes and knew he wanted him to participate in the upcoming battle. Perhaps that might be a good distraction for him. Ling Tong flashed a small smile at his friend. "I'll go with you..." his smile widened briefly as he saw Lu Xun's eyes lit up at his response.

"That's great!" the strategist grabbed his arm and shook it excitedly. "We will conquer Jing province and bring honor to Wu! Together, you and I... the world will know our names!" Determination flashed in the strategist's eyes and he raised one clenched fist to show his resolution.

Ling Tong allowed his smile to widen further and he nodded encouragingly at the strategist.

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A small knock on his door aroused the martial artist from his nap. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and stifled a yawn. He had not planned on taking a nap but his tired body needed to rest and before long, he had fallen asleep. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Ning Xue. Open up! I want to talk to you."

Ling Tong blinked in surprise; there was a slight forceful manner in the way the girl spoke. The martial artist smiled in amusement; no other people would dare to speak to him in such a manner, especially a subordinate. Still, he knew there was no way he would chastise the girl for her lack of manners; in fact, the martial artist felt pleased that the major spoke to him in such a presumptuous manner - it could only mean that she felt close to him.

"Open up already!" she shouted impatiently from outside the door.

The martial artist laughed and unlatched the lock on the door. One pouting girl stepped in and gave him a dirty look. "What took you so long?" she grumbled.

Ling Tong let his hands ran through his messy hair and shrugged. "You woke me up, Pastry Girl." he answered with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Ning Xue glanced at him in mild disapproval. "You're sleeping in broad daylight? Lazybum."

The martial artist raised one eyebrow in surprise. He was about to respond in his usual sarcastic manner when he caught the twinkle in the girl's eyes and saw her lips twitching into a grin. Ling Tong nodded knowingly and smiled. "You didn't come in to give me a lecture, did you?"

His words obviously reminded the girl of her purpose and her smile promptly disappeared. Her expression became serious and she ducked her eyes around nervously, unable to meet the martial artist's curious stare. Ling Tong closed the door behind them and offered her a seat.

"I... err..." she began and paused to swallow hard. Ning Xue drew a long sip from her tea and kept her eyes on the brown liquid.

Ling Tong waited patiently for the girl to continue. The martial artist knew the girl well and she was well-known for her frank attitude and blunt words. If Ning Xue was stammering, then the martial artist could guess what she was going to say.

Finally, he watched the girl inhaled deeply and looked him in the eye. "Lu Meng told me you love me. Is that true?" the words came out too fast and the girl was sipping her tea nervously again as she waited for his response.

Ling Tong blinked in surprise as it took him a moment to interpret her words. When he did, he blushed furiously and nodded lightly at her. He saw her licked her lips and sighed.

"Ling Tong..." she grabbed his arm and squeezed it. "You know... I..." Ning Xue frowned and struggled with her words.

The martial artist put his hand over hers and patted it lightly. "You know, you don't have to explain to me. I know you picked Boyan." He saw her exhaled in relief and a smile crept onto her face.

"Thank you... You won't be upset with me or Xun, right?" she blinked at him.

Ling Tong felt the girl tightened her grip on his arm. He gave her a thoughtful look and tried to shrug away the pain he felt. His heart beat painfully and the martial artist let out the breath he had been holding. He met her anxious gaze and flashed a small grin at her. "As long as you both remain my best friends."

Ning Xue smiled widely and embraced the martial artist. "Of course! We will always be best friends." she shrieked happily into his ears and hugged him roughly.

The martial artist winced and rubbed his ringing ears. He relaxed his tensed muscles and hugged the girl back.

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Lu Xun was there to greet his commander when Lu Meng returned from patrol. "What news, Lu Meng?" he rushed up and helped the weary general off his horse.

The pale general smiled at him. "I've followed your advice and hid all our soldiers away. They are disguised as peasants and merchants, waiting for your instructions." He patted the young officer's shoulders, his eyes displayed amusement and approval. "I have confidence in your strategy, Lu Xun."

The strategist flashed a huge grin and nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, our enemy won't even know what hit them. We will not fail our lord."

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It was time to attack Shu's encampment in Xiang Yang. The enemy camp was almost empty now that their commander had led the army to engage Wei's city. Lu Xun smiled to himself; his plan had worked. With Guan Yu busy fighting Wei, Xiang Yang was defenseless. The strategist turned to his commander and nodded. "We attack." he raised one saber and signaled the attack.

Lu Meng smiled and nodded, raising his polearm into the air and charged towards the city.

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Lu Xun studied the enemy camp from the hill top. It had been easy taking over Fan Castle in Xiang Yang and captured the remaining officers in the fortress. The Wu army had even captured the Shu commander, Guan Yu who had been executed by Lu Meng's orders. The strategist sighed; it had been a great pity to kill off the Shu commander but they had no choice as well. The tiger general was a threat to the kingdom of Wu and Lu Meng had decided it was safer to execute him. Now, the Shu leader had brought forth a massive army of one hundred thousands troops to avenge the death of his sworn brother. Was it really safer to kill the tiger general? The strategist shrugged; it did not matter now, they must hold the defense.

It was summer in the South. The weather was hot and dry; the sun shone mercilessly on the Shu soldiers who were unused to the humid climate of the south. Many had fallen ill, morale was low and tempers short. Lu Xun smiled knowingly that as long as he refused to meet the taunts of the enemies and engaged them, victory would be granted to Wu. It was a battle of endurance.

Day after day, the Shu generals came to the city walls of Yi Ling and taunted them, throwing verbal abuse that was too uncouth to repeat. Zhou Tai and Ling Tong were getting quite upset and nearly left the city but the strategist had stopped them. "Let me go and teach them a lesson!" Zhou Tai said, clenching his fists angrily, staring down from the fortress walls at the Shu soldiers insulting them.

"No, Zhou Tai. We wait." Lu Xun said calmly.

"Wait for what!" Ling Tong snapped and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was restless and frustrated from the long waiting game.

"Gongji... We wait for the right moment." the strategist raised one arm and stayed the martial artist.

"When's the right moment? We have waited for three whole months already... Don't you want to go home?" the martial artist whined, frowning irritably at the lack of action.

Besides Ling Tong, Zhou Tai nodded his head in agreement.

The strategist smiled. "It won't be long now... Trust me." he said and offered no further explanation.

The two generals snorted but they backed down; With Lu Meng ill and escorted back to Wu, the young strategist had taken over the command. A soldier ran towards the young commander and bowed to him. "Milord. Liu Bei had shifted the camps to the forest."

"Ahh. Finally, the moment has come." Lu Xun smiled triumphantly and dismissed the messenger. He turned to his two impatient generals. "We will now attack."

Ling Tong grinned and rubbed his hands. "About time, Boyan." Zhou Tai nodded. "But why wait till now?" the martial artist queried.

"Liu Bei has moved his camp into the forest to escape the summer heat. His men had either fallen ill or grumbled about the heat excessively. This resentment lowered the enemy's morale." the strategist explained.

The two generals nodded at his logic. Lu Xun smiled at them and continued. "The forest is a perfect place for a fire attack. We will burn them alive and score the victory."

Ling Tong laughed, and looked at his friend with genuine respect in his eyes. "Well done, Boyan."

Zhou Tai nodded and smiled.

"Well, shall we?" Lu Xun asked his two generals and they both replied in unison. "Yes!"

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As the strategist predicted, victory was within their grasp the moment the fire attack was launched. Due to the dry weather, the forest caught the fire quickly and the flames spread fast, trapping the massive army of Shu in the inferno. Needless to say, Liu Bei had to retreat.

"Milord, our reinforcements have arrived." A messenger reported.

"Good, send word to them to pursue the Shu forces but do not engaged them if they meet their reinforcements." Lu Xun dismissed the messenger.

The strategist raised one arm and signaled for the army to follow him. He kicked his steed lightly and the horse galloped.

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"Milord, our reinforcements had engaged in battle with the enemy's reinforcements led by Zhao Yun." a soldier reported to the strategist.

Lu Xun frowned and recalled the reputation of the fearsome tiger general. "Who's leading our reinforcements?" he asked the soldier.

"Milord, it is Lady Ning Xue." he replied with a deep bow.

Lu Xun winced at the mention of the girl's name. "What? Why wasn't I told?" he demanded, worry evident in his voice at the thought of the girl facing an experienced enemy general.

"Milord, I thought you knew..." the soldier stammered and kneeled down.

"How many troops do we have and how many of the enemy's reinforcements?"

"About five thousand on both sides, Milord." the soldier replied promptly.

The strategist exhaled his breath in relief. At least, their numbers were evenly matched. However he was worried that the inexperienced girl would not be a match against the enemy's general. "Break out the camp, we will reinforce our ally."


	16. Chapter 16: Tough Battle

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : Unfortunately, Ning Xue didn't really quite win Zhao Yun. I agree, the battle is quite fast paced, I hope it's not too rush since I was jumping quite a lot.

RisingStarofDestiny: Yeah, it is. I think maybe a few more chapters to the story end. A sequel? I can consider but will you read if the sequel is about Ling Tong? I did intend to have a slight twist with Zhao Yun and Ning Xue's grandma but decided to crop it off as it might be too distracting at this stage of the story.

bluestarryskies: Indeed, that came right out of the cut scene, I thought that piece of dialogue might make a nice reference to the cut scene. It was the only dialogue I can remember exact. :p Thank you, I enjoy describing details though sometimes I over-do it. lol

Blizzard209: You have a nut for reading my mind or otherwise I've made it far too obvious for you. lol. You're quite right, Lu Xun haven't found out her secret yet and he will soon. Also, Ning Xue did get into trouble with Zhao Yun but compared to Lu Xun, she got off lucky. :p

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**Notes:**

A shorter chapter after I cropped off a sub-twist with Zhao Yun. I think it might be a good idea to keep things closer to the main plot at this stage. Hope you enjoy this chapter, nevertheless.

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**Chapter 16: Tough Battle**

Ning Xue felt the adrenaline rushing in her blood as she tightened her grip on her sword hilt and faced her opponent. With a single glance, the girl knew she was facing one of her toughest battle to come; the old general was tall and powerful looking. His hair was greying at the sides and tied into a low ponytail. Despite the few wrinkles around his eyes, the general must had been handsome in his youth. His onyx-colored eyes shone brightly and emited widsom and experience. A small smile appeared on his face as he noticed the girl staring at him. He stood with a commanding aura and wielded a huge powerful spear that was easily longer than the girl's entire height.

Behind him, stood a regime of soldiers dressed in the colors of their kingdom. Their eyes hinted at the respect they held for their commander; all the general had to do was to raise one hand and the soldiers would fight to the death for him.

Ning Xue forced down the lump in her throat; this was no time to have second doubts. She had volunteered to lead the reinforcements so that she may meet up with Lu Xun. The girl missed the strategist and if she could see him sooner by going to war, she was willing to pay the price.

The swordswoman stole a quick glance at the soldiers under her command, they stood motionless behind her awaiting her instructions. Ning Xue knew them to be elite soldiers, war-hardened veterans who were used to battles. She allowed herself to let out a relieved breath to calm her nerves. She did not like war but the choice had already been made earlier. It was either go to war and kill or to be killed in battle; running away was not an option.

"A battlefield is no place for a young girl like you." the enemy general commented, not unkindly as though reading her thoughts.

Ning Xue scrowled at the general and stuck out her tongue at him. "Officers of Wu know no cowardice!" she exclaimed. Her men cheered her on from behind.

The enemy commander laughed. "Know my name then, little girl. You are facing the Dragon of Chang Shan. I am Zhao Yun, one of the tiger generals of Shu." The Shu soldiers roared in approval at their commander's introduction, stomping their spears on the ground.

Ning Xue heard the soldiers behind her grimaced and whispered among themselves, no doubt having heard of his name. She was unfamiliar with officers in other kingdoms and shrugged at the commander instead. Not really knowing how to react to the enemy's introduction, the girl decided a cordial greeting could be in order. "Hello... Nice to meet you." she replied, drawing a chuckle from the enemies side. "I am Ning Xue of Poyang."

"Well met, Ning Xue." Zhao Yun smiled warmly for a brief moment. His grin was promptly replaced with a sad expression. "I'm sorry you have to fight us... Wu should have sent a more experienced general."

Ning Xue was about to retort when she realised there was a genuine sadness in the tiger general's eyes. Perhaps the experienced general did not want to fight against Wu, who was supposingly Shu's ally. She bit her lips thoughfully as she struggled to think of an appropriate response.

It was the general who spoke again. "If you're not going to run away from me, perhaps we can get this over with. I cannot let you pursue my lord any further." the tiger general said, waving his spear behind him as he stepped forward.

The swordswoman sighed; she liked the tiger general's warm personality. They might have become good friends if they were not on the opposite sides. She nodded at Zhao Yun, withdrew her blade from the scabbard and stepped forward. "Zhao Yun, here I come." Ning Xue raised her sword arm and led the charge towards the enemy.

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Ning Xue panted breathlessly as she struggled to stay out of Zhao Yun's powerful spear. The general certainly was not fighting like his age; he was graceful and agile, dodging all the girl's attacks like they were clumsy child's play.

Her hands were sweating, and beads of perspiration rolled off her forehead. Ning Xue wiped her brow with a quick sweep of her bracers and tightened her grip on her sword. She knew she could not win the experienced general with brute strength; it would take strategy and tactics to stand a chance against him. Ning Xue twisted her body to let the spear go past her and slashed her blade at the general. She followed up with a series of stabs after the Shu officer dodged and started to build a momentum of attacks.

Ning Xue allowed herself to risk a maneuver; letting Zhao Yun's spear hit her armour and taking the chance, she quickly pushed out the segments from her hilt and slashed the general across the arm with her added range. The general jumped back and after examining his wound, smiled in approval at her. "Not bad, girl. Nice weapon you've got there." The smile disappeared promptly however and the girl saw the fire lit up in his eyes. "But playtime is over..." he muttered and gazed skyward for a brief moment, before thrusting his spear at the girl again.

The swordswoman tried her best to parry his fierce attacks but she was not as strong as the general and found herself being pushed back. It was not long before the powerful Shu officer's spear got through her guard and cut the girl's arms and legs. Ning Xue panted; she was getting tired and a little dizzy from the many small wounds on her body. Yet, the general showed no signs of fatigue; on the contrary, his attacks were more powerful and faster than before. Ning Xue frowned at her dire circumstances.

It was at this moment, the girl heard a shouting across the battlefield. "Wu reinforcements has arrived!" There was much cheering on the battlefield, no doubt from the men under Ning Xue's commands. Soon a fresh batch of soldiers in red joined the battlefield.

A familiar saber came between them. Ning Xue gazed up to meet Lu Xun's warm smile. "We'll fight him together." he said with a hint of relief in his voice and turned to the Shu officer. "I am Lu Xun. I will be your opponent."

Zhao Yun's eyes narrowed dangerously when he heard the name. "So you're Lu Xun, the one that burned our camp in Yi Ling." The Shu general adjusted his spear and nodded at the strategist. "You may look young but I won't go easy on you."

Lu Xun rolled his eyes and snorted. "We'll see." the strategist adjusted his fighting stance and charged at the tiger general.

A kick in the ribs sent Ning Xue flying a distance away. She hit her back hard against a tree trunk and felt her ribs cracked upon the impact. The blow caused her to drop her sword and she watched it land several feet away in the bushes. The girl cursed and wiped away the blood oozing from the corner of her mouth. She got up with much difficulty. Her ribs groaned in protest and she could not stand up straight no matter how hard she tried. The sharp pain in her adomen and back prevented her from immediately returning to the battle. The girl stood hunchbacked and leaned on the tree to support herself, panting. She eyed the ongoing fight between the two generals warily, worried about the safety of her friend. While she did not know how skillful the strategist was with his swords, she knew he had more talents in his intellect than in brawl. Ning Xue took a step towards the two fighting generals and winced as her knees went weak and her steps faltered.

She cursed her weakness and willed a magical energy to strengthen herself. It took her a moment to feel the effects and when she gazed up from the ground, she saw the strategist struggling against the powerful tiger general. She almost panicked. Anxious for the strategist's safety, Ning Xue gritted her teeth and got up, ignoring the sharp pain in her ribs and charged towards the Shu officer. She was too late however, as the girl watched helplessly to see the spear thrusted into Lu Xun's chest.

"NO! Xun!" she cried and threw herself at the tiger general's back, beating and scratching at his neck or any flesh her nails could find. The Shu general blinked in surprise and threw her off his back promptly. He was about to thrust his spear at her when two arrows pierced Zhao Yun's shoulders. He recoiled instantly, frowning at the protruding bolts sticking out of his flesh. The tiger general took one look at the battlefield and saw the advancing Wu army. It was time to retreat; they were outnumbered.

"Retreat!" he shouted and saw his men in green started to moved backwards. Turning to the two wounded friends, he caught Ning Xue's eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry. A soldier must do his duty forthmost to his lord." The general left with his retreating army.

Ning Xue crawled her way to the unconscious strategist and pressed firmly on his bleeding chest. "Xun... please wake up." Tears flowed down her cheeks as she stared at his pale face. "Xun... please... wake up." Unable to endure her fatique, Ning Xue finally collapsed with her head resting on the strategist's chest.


	17. Chapter 17: Sacrifice

**Reviews:**

RisingStarofDestiny: hehe, so you like angst as well, eh? Well, here comes a new twist. :D

Blizzard209: lol. Thank you so much. Hopefully Xun will get out of trouble now.

(Sin) : Yeah, it is quite a scary injury. Worry not, our girl have some magic power. (hint)

bluestarryskies:D Thank you. I hope you will enjoy this new chapter as well.

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**Chapter 17: Sacrifice **

Ning Xue fluttered her eyelids and opened her eyes. She found herself staring into Ling Tong's worried face. Her head felt heavy and the girl shook her head gently to clear the daze in her mind. One hand clutched at her temples as she tried to recall what happened. As she remembered the last battle, the girl jumped right up from the bed, wincing and groaning at the sharp pain in her ribs.

"Easy there. Pastry Girl." Ling Tong chastised her gently and tried to hold her down.

Ning Xue wriggled and started to weep. "Where's Xun?" She had recalled collapsing on top of the wounded officer after the battle. She winced at the martial artist's grave expression and grabbed his arms frantically. "How's Xun?"

Ling Tong flinched as her nails dug deep into his skin, drawing blood on his flesh. He gently peeled her fingers off his arm, and tried to give her an assuring look. "Boyan... lost a lot of blood." There was no easy way to convey bad news and the martial artist felt horribly helpless that he was unable to help his friends.

"Where? How?" Tears started to flow freely from her worried face. The girl struggled to get off the bed, ignoring the pain in her ribs and her tired muscles.

"You can't get off the bed, Pastry Girl. You have two fractured ribs..." Ling Tong grabbed her shoulders and forced her to lie back on the bed.

"I want to see Xun!" she was getting hysterical, her eyes reddened from her wailing and the girl continued to struggle against the general. "Get off me, Ling Tong." With one mighty push that must have used up all of the girl's strength, she succeeded in pushing the general off her bed. She did not stop to look at him but instead, dragged her feet towards the exit.

"Wait!" Ling Tong got up from the ground and frown. He clutched at his chest for a brief moment, feeling a sharp pain in his heart from the girl's careless actions. _She did not even care about me._ he thought sadly. With a shrug, he caught up with the injured girl and pulled at her good arm. "Stop! You can't!"

Ning Xue shook off his grip and stepped out of the room with difficulty. She panted heavily, feeling her tired muscles draining her strength and her commander holding her back. She was very frustrated at his hindering efforts; Lu Xun completely filled her thoughts at the moment and she was going to drag herself to see him even if she had to lose a foot or limb.

"Ning Xue!" Ling Tong's sharp usage of her full name stopped the girl. She stared at him, startled and confused. The martial artist reached down and lifted her up and started to move towards her bed.

"Put me down, this instant! Or we will be friends no longer!" The girl started to kick and yelled at him.

Ling Tong halted as the harsh words left her mouth. He felt his eyes glistened with unshed tears and sniffed involuntarily. He put the girl down and looked away, avoiding her eyes. "You know... I just don't want you to see Boyan like that..." the words were barely a whisper and a drop of tear fell on his face. "The physician said he's not going to make it..." he croaked, his voice broken.

"WHAT?" Ning Xue clinged onto the martial artist and shook him. "What did you say?" she turned his face towards her roughly so that she could look into his eyes.

"Boyan... He's... he's dying!" he responded with a resigned sigh. He saw the girl's eyes rolled upwards and collapsed. With his quick reflexes, Ling Tong caught her before her body hit the ground. He saw her eyes opened and stared into his, looking for any sighs of deceit. "I won't joke about my best friend's life." he replied her unspoken question and felt her shoulders slumped at his response.

Suddenly, the girl stood up and leaned onto the martial artist for support. "Take me to him, please." she pleaded desperately.

The martial artist nodded and lifted the girl up a second time and made his way towards the strategist's room.

-----------------

Ning Xue knew Ling Tong was not lying to her the moment she saw the strategist's face; it was as white as snow and his lips were pale. Besides his unconscious body was a basin of red bloodied water and a cloth. An old peasant was tending to him, obviously the physician that Ling Tong had mentioned. She gestured for the martial artist to put her on the bed and held the strategist's hand; it was cold and lifeless.

"Xun, wake up. It's me." she placed his hand on her cheek. Tears rolled down her eyes and her voice became hoarse. "Xun... please... wake up." When the strategist did not respond, Ning Xue grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Wake up, Xun! Wake up!"

"My lady, please don't do that." the physician sounded alarm and Ling Tong reached forward to hold the girl back. "He's still bleeding, if you shake him like this, it might tear his wound further."

Ning Xue sniffed back her tears and glared angrily at the doctor. He cringed in fear and swallowed hard. "Tell me the truth. How is he?" she asked in a very serious tone.

"My lady. I have tried my best. The bleeding won't stop." the doctor replied, and lifted one bloody hand for the girl to see.

Ning Xue followed his gaze and found the spear wound in Lu Xun's chest was still bleeding. She winced and shook her head helplessly. "Ling Tong..." she croaked the general's name. He leaned closer to her in response. "Take this man out. You go out too. Guard the door and let no one into the room."

Ling Tong blinked several times in confusion. "What?"

"Just do it. I will heal Xun myself." she replied curtly and pointed towards the exit. "Please, Ling Tong. I can heal him. Let no one into the tent until I leave."

The doctor scrambled away, shaking his head and grumbling something about foolish girl. The martial artist however made no move and remained where he was. Ning Xue frowned irritably. "Are you stupid? Get out, Ling Tong!" she snapped and glared at him.

The general winced. "Ning Xue, I know you're upset... It's hard for me too..." he began but was interrupted when he caught the look in her eyes.

"If you don't go out now, Ling Tong. I will kill myself right here!" she took out a dagger and pressed it against her neck. A thin red line appeared, visible against her ivory skin.

The martial artist was completely taken aback. "Alright, alright, I'll go. I'll wait outside." he replied anxiously and brought up his hands to show his submission. "Just don't do anything foolish... I'll be outside." he started to move towards the exit. "Just shout if you want anything."

Once the general left the room, Ning Xue struggled towards the exit and latched the door. She turned her attention back to the wounded strategist and stroked his hair lovingly. "Xun, I will heal you myself. I will not let you die, even if I have to sacrifice a hundred years off my cultivation for you. I'll pay any price."

The girl removed the bloodied dressing from the strategist's chest and tore away his shirt. She stared into his wound and started to concentrate on directing the magical energy within her. She willed a force from her body and directed into the unconscious officer; her body started to glow and a ray of white light appeared. Ning Xue felt her body was further weakened as she controlled the light and directed it into Lu Xun's wounds. She struggled to maintain her concentration as the light became stronger and his wound started to close. _Just a bit more._ she told herself as her vision began to darken. She forced out more energy from herself and the spear wound finally close. The light disappeared and the girl collapsed on top of the officer, panting and breaking out in cold sweat. A single lock of her black hair turned white from the exertion.

Ning Xue forced herself up and gazed lovingly at the strategist. She knew he would regain consciousness soon, the wound on his chest had close completely. Her healing had even replenished some of his excessive blood loss, but she had paid a huge price for it. Taking a quick look at the mirror, the girl sighed as she saw the lock of white hair on her head. Already, some white fur was starting to appear on her skin; it was a matter of time before she had to revert back to her true shape. Without the five hundred years of cultivation, she could not maintain her human shape permanently. A drop of tear fell from her face. Ning Xue wiped it away sadly. Her time in Wu had finally come to an end.

She struggled towards the exit, took Lu Xun's cloak and wrapped over her, covering her hair and arms before she unlatched the door.

Ling Tong came rushing towards her the moment the door opened. "Ning Xue!" he gasped as he caught sight of her pale, tired face. "What happened?" his eyes betrayed his fear that his friend might be dead.

The girl flashed a weak smile at him. "Xun's fine. He'll wake up soon. I... I'm tired." she said with difficulty and paused to draw in a deep breath. "I must return home... Ling Tong... please take care of him for me." her voice was pained and she sniffed back the tears there were threatening to flow.

"What? Where are you going? Boyan would want to see you... I can't let you go." he tilted his head in confusion.

"Ling Tong, please. I can no longer stay here..." she replied wearily. Turning back to look at the stirring strategist, Ning Xue walked a few steps and paused. "Please tell him that I love him and... give him this." She removed a hairpin from under her cloak and placed it in the martial artist's hand. Without turning back, the girl moved quickly away.

Ling Tong was about to chase after her when he heard Lu Xun groaning. As he stood outside the room entrance and watched the girl's retreating shadow disappeared, he turned towards his friend and rushed to help him as the strategist struggled to get off the bed.


	18. Chapter 18: Magic

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : Thank you Sin, sorry it took me a while to write the next chapter.

RisingStarofDestiny: Ahh, I'm assuming that Ning Xue managed to cover her hands with the cloak when she handled the hairpin to Ling Tong. Sorry about that.

bluestarryskies: Yes, they will find out her secret soon. :D

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**Notes:**

A much shorter chapter... I seemed to hit a dry patch again so I'm struggling with the dialogues in this chapter. :p Hopefully I'll get pass that soon.

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**Chapter 18: Magic**

"Where's Xue-er?" Lu Xun queried, looking at Ling Tong after taking a quick glance around his room for the girl.

"She went home..." the martial artist replied simply. He dipped a clean cloth into a basin of water, squeezed it dry and dabbed at the blood on the strategist's chest. When he found no gapping wound in his friend's chest, Ling Tong let out a startled cry.

"What?" the strategist raised one eyebrow, puzzled.

"Your wound... It's gone!" Ling Tong exclaimed, unable to believe his eyes. Using the cloth, the martial artist wiped away most of the dried blood on the strategist's chest to reveal perfect skin. There was no trace of any wound, save for the blood.

Lu Xun studied his own torso and shrugged. "Was I wounded?" he scratched his head in confusion.

"Yeah! Zhao Yun stabbed you. Don't you remember?"

The strategist blinked in surprise at the statement. He recalled the battle scene vaguely and tracing along the line of thought, he remembered fighting against the fearsome tiger general. Lu Xun let out a shriek. "He did!" he met Ling Tong's frown and nodded. Glancing down at his naked torso again, the strategist stared at his chest where the Shu commander had stabbed - there was no injury. "How?" he asked the martial artist.

Ling Tong shook his head and poked at his friend's chest. "Did that hurt?"

The strategist shook his head. "The physician said you were dying, Boyan. Ning Xue was very upset about it and she chased me out of the room, saying that she can heal you." Ling Tong stared at the bloodied dressing besides the strategist and glanced at his chest; his eyes widened in shock. "She did heal you!" he exclaimed. "But how?"

"Are you sure she healed me?" Lu Xun inquired, sniffing at his friend's shirt. When the martial artist frowned at him, the strategist laughed. "Just checking if you've been drinking again."

Ling Tong rolled his eyes. "I'm not a drunkard, Boyan. You, of all people should know that."

Lu Xun nodded in agreement and looked at him with a puzzled look. "You don't think Xue-er knows magic?"

The martial artist jumped, completely taken aback at his friend's deduction. He looked thoughtfully at him, tapping his fingers on his chin. "You know, maybe... That'll explain how she can heal you in a flash." Ling Tong tilted his head and narrowed his lips. "But why didn't she tell us?"

"I don't know, Gongji..." Lu Xun scowled and looked away, hiding the hurt look on his face from the martial artist. "Perhaps, she doesn't trust us..." he continued in a soft voice.

Ling Tong squeezed his friend's arm and caught his gaze again. "Maybe she has valid reasons to hide it from us. Why don't you ask her?"

"She's gone, isn't she? Why?" the strategist asked, frowning at the thought of the girl leaving without biding him goodbye.

"Boyan, she looked really odd when she came out of your room." There was a faraway look in Ling Tong's eyes as he recalled the girl. "She sounded very tired and she came out wearing your cloak, even though it's not really cold outside. She said she can no longer stay in Wu." He paused and dug one hand into his pocket and pulled out a silver hairpin. "She asked me to tell you she loves you and to give you this..."

Lu Xun's frown deepened as he removed the trinket from the martial artist's hand. It was a simple silver hairpin; there was a metal carving etched at one end on the accessory that resembled the word 'snow' which the strategist interpreted as the girl's name. Beneath the carving was a small bed of white fur. The strategist felt the texture of the fur with his fingers but could not identify the nature of the fur. He held it up and looked at his friend. "Doesn't seem to be fur from a bear. Do you know what it is?"

Ling Tong examined the fiber on the hairpin and took a sniff at it. His father had taken him on hunting trips and the martial artist had some basic knowledge on pelts. He blinked at the strategist. "If memory served, this is fox's fur."

"Fox fur? That's rather unusual on a girl's accessory..." Lu Xun mused, taking the hairpin from his friend's hand and sniffed at it like the martial artist had. He could smell a faint floral fragrance that reminded him of the girl. "I've never seen Xue-er wear it." he muttered.

"Me neither." the martial artist agreed. They both stared at the accessory without any further words.

"Oh!" Ling Tong said suddenly and slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot! The king sent a message earlier - you are to return to the capital as soon as you are able. I sent a reply that you are grievously injured. No doubt, our lord must be worried sick. We better return soon."

Lu Xun nodded absentmindedly, his eyes focused on the hairpin as he thought of the strange gift and why the girl could not remain in Wu.

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"Lu Xun! How are you feeling?" Sun Quan asked in a concern tone, his eyes observing the young strategist for any sighs of injuries but found none.

The officer bowed low in respect and shook his head slightly. "Milord, I'm sorry to trouble you with my injury. I am fine now."

"But the messenger reported that you were grievously injured and that the physician said to prepare for the worst." the king tapped his fingers thoughtfully on his desk.

"Milord, it is true I was stabbed in the chest but my wound has healed completely." the strategist replied in a grim tone.

The king raised one eyebrow in surprise and nodded briefly. "Alright, but you are one lucky man, Lu Xun." he commented and smiled. "You have done well at war and brought honor to Wu. I am very pleased. You are promoted to governor and I have another suitable reward in mind."

Lu Xun bowed and replied. "I humbly thank you, milord but I do not deserve such honor. As an officer of Wu, I am merely doing my duty."

"You deserved it. Zhou Yu will assign you your jurisdiction."

The senior strategist rose from his seat and nodded at the king. He looked at the young officer and smiled warmly, his eyes showed that he was proud of his student.

"And Princess Ting has come of marriageable age. I've decided that you will make a perfect husband to her." Turning towards the senior strategist, the king asked, "Zhou Yu, when is a good date for them?"

Lu Xun's eyes widened in shock at the marriage proposal. "No, milord..." the king looked at him, offended. "Your humble servant does not deserve this." the strategist added diplomatically, his heart cringing at the thought of the proposal.

Sun Quan smiled kindly at the young officer. "I said you do deserve it. No one else will dare say otherwise. Zhou Yu will pick a good date for both of you. Ahh, finally I can tell my late brother that I have found a perfect husband to take care of his daughter. This pleases me greatly."

It was plain to the young strategist that the king would not take kindly at his refusal. His mind was confused as he thought about Ning Xue. He had not understood why she had left without a word. Was it because she no longer loves him? Even if that was true, the strategist did not want to marry another girl; it would be most unfair to the princess if he thought of Ning Xue and yet had to spend his life with the princess. The officer glanced up to voice his refusal but found the king engaging in a discussion with his teacher.

A eunuch approached Lu Xun and bowed. "You are dismissed, milord."

Lu Xun sighed and acknowledged the message. He bowed at the distracted king and left the audience chambers.


	19. Chapter 19: The Mess

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : Sorry about the spelling mistakes. I can't believe I forgot to run it through Word first.

RisingStarofDestiny: Ning Xue is briefly covered by the new chapter. I'm still thinking how to shape the rest of the chapters so I didn't write too much on her.

bluestarryskies: Thank you. Music helps me too.

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**Chapter 19: The Mess**

A white fox sat in front of a tombstone motionlessly. The fox slump its body, giving the impression that it was depressed and one paw stretched out to touch the cold tombstone; to any passerby, that scene would have been odd. Its fur shook slightly as the cool autumn air blew past the animal. It blinked and looked sadly at the grave.

A woodcutter passed by the odd scene and gasped aloud; he had never seen an animal at a grave and that took him by surprise. On hearing his footsteps, the animal tilted its ears, took one look at him and scrambled away. The woodsman was curious and approached the grave and tried to read the words on the tombstone. He was not educated but from the markings on the grave, he could tell it belonged to an elderly lady. He scratched his head in confusion, not understanding why an animal would visit a quiet graveyard - until he suddenly recalled the legends in the old mountains. The woodcutter yelped in fright and covered his mouth promptly, taking a nervous look around the surroundings for any trace of the fox. He found none and took up the wood he had chopped, slung it over his shoulders and ran down the mountain. As he distanced himself from the cemetery, the fox could hear him murmuring something about fox spirits.

The vixen came out of its hiding place after the intruder left. It glanced down at its body and looked sadly at the retreating shadow of the human. It breathed out a gasp of air and watched it dissipated in the cool mountain temperature. Taking one last look at the grave, it lowered its head and ran off.

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Lu Xun stared at the hairpin in his hands, letting one finger traced along the delicate metal in a loving gesture. His brows furrowed together into a frown as he thought about the marriage proposal decreed by his lord. The princess was beautiful and noble-born but she was not the keeper of his heart. Propriety demanded that he married the princess, after the king promised her to him but the strategist was feeling very miserable as he thought about the woman he loved. The officer let out a lingering sigh. "Why did she leave?" he muttered to himself, his fingers fiddled with the accessory absentmindedly. Even if the girl was a mystic who practiced the art of magic, she had no reason to leave him. The strategist knew he would not blame her for keeping it from him.

"You know where she lives, don't you?" A familiar voice stated from behind.

Lu Xun glanced up to meet his best friend's concerned gaze. He offered him a small nod in response to his question and pocketed the hairpin quickly into his robe.

"Why don't you go find her?" Ling Tong queried, taking a seat besides the strategist.

"I can't... " he gave his friend a depressed look and sighed.

"If you are worried about Princess Ting, I can cover your absence." the martial artist consoled his friend, putting one arm around him.

"I... I don't want to marry the princess." Lu Xun replied with an exasperated sigh.

The sudden sound of glass breaking startled the two officers. They glanced towards the direction of the breakage and found the princess staring at them with a horrified expression. A tray of broken cups and a teapot laid at her feet, the brown liquid stained her yellow dress. When she met the strategist's eyes, she covered her opened mouth with her hands and desperately blinked hard to prevent the tears glistening in her eyes to flow. A frown appeared on her fair face and the princess turned around and took off in the direction she had come from.

Ling Tong shook his head at his friend and patted at his back. "Well, I guess the princess knows now." he said softly and sighed.

"What should I do now?" the strategist asked wearily, his eyes glued to the broken pieces on the ground.

Ling Tong grabbed his friend's shoulders and turned him towards him. "You should go and find Ning Xue. Bring her back if you can, if not, marry her there. I will try to pacify the princess. Hopefully she won't insist on marrying you."

Lu Xun's eyes widened in surprise and he looked at his friend with admiration and gratitude in his eyes. The strategist sniffed involuntarily and hugged the martial artist. "I can't let you do this..." he whispered sadly, shaking his head. "This is not your mess."

"Bah! I promised Ning Xue that I won't let you break her heart." the martial artist replied in a serious tone. "First light at dawn, I want to see you on a horse out of the city gates. Say no more." he gave the strategist a determined look.

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Ling Tong did not have to look long; he found the princess standing alone in the garden staring at the winter ducks swimming in the lake with a blank look on her pale face. The general approached the princess, landing his steps slightly heavier than usual to announce his presence. He watched the lady's back straightened slightly and turned to glance at the martial artist. Ling Tong offered her a small nod which she returned vaguely, before turning her attention back to the swimming ducks.

"Beautiful mandarin ducks, aren't they?" the soft voice of the princess said as the general stood besides her and watched the animals.

Ling Tong turned to look at the lady and nodded in agreement. "Yes, they are."

"They are swimming always in pairs, like happily married couples..." the princess stated with a fervent sigh.

The martial artist nodded in silence and watched the ducks swimming freely across the quiet lake, their necks entwined in each others' wings. The air was chilly from the cold winter winds sweeping across the garden. Ling Tong tightened his coat around his neck and sighed. His wandering eyes met the princess's gaze. "Milady?"

Princess Ting smiled sadly at the general. "You want to tell me about Lord Lu Xun, right?" There was twinkle in her eyes when she said the strategist's name.

Ling Tong nodded sheepishly in response.

The lady flashed a wider smile and shook her head. "I have only one question... who is this girl that he loves?"

The martial artist raised one eyebrow and felt a lump forming in his throat at the question. _So she has heard that much..._ "Her name is Ning Xue. She's a major in my unit." he answered in a neutral tone.

The princess was still looking at him expectantly. Ling Tong swallowed the lump in his throat and licked his dry lips. "Well... I... Milady, is there anything else you wish to know?"

"What kind of a person is she?" her voice was steady but Ling Tong could see the pain flashed in her eyes as the princess asked the question. It was a veiled question but the martial artist did not miss the unspoken question - the princess wanted to know why the strategist love her.

The general smiled sadly. "Ning Xue is kind and lively. She's innocent and funny. We will never be bored around her. Boyan has always been a quiet and shy person but Ning Xue has managed to get him to open up more..." He thought about the cheerful girl tending to his wounds he got after sparring with Gan Ning; she made him laughed even when he was furious with her. She had saved his life and earned his friendship, even his feelings for her. Ling Tong inhaled deeply and continued. "There's something about her that makes him think of her, miss her. I... Boyan can never forget her; she saved his life."

"I see." Princess Ting replied.

"Milady... About the marriage proposal... I..."

The princess raised one hand to stop the general. She shook her head sadly and nodded. "I am not so desperate as to force a man to wed me. I will convince Lord Sun Quan to withdraw his order. You need not worry."

Ling Tong felt his jaw dropped in surprise and blinked. He had not thought that it would be so easy to convince the princess to turn down the proposal. The princess was truly understanding and kind. The general kneeled down on one knee and bowed deep in respect. "I thank you, milady. You are most kind. Boyan and I are deeply in your debt."

The princess tapped his arm lightly and helped the martial artist up. "No need to thank me. I'm thinking of my own happiness as well. I want to wed a man who loves me." she grinned. "However, please promise me something."

Ling Tong nodded his head fervently and replied eagerly. "Anything milady."

The lady laughed. "Bring them both back. Wu needs talented people like Lord Lu Xun and yourself. I don't want them both to leave Wu just because of the marriage proposal."

The general gave the princess an approving glance and smiled. "You surprised me, milady. You have shown me both your grace and wisdom. I have never seen any lady as virtuous and as understanding as you. I will make sure Boyan and Ning Xue comes back to serve Wu."


	20. Chapter 20: Mountain

**Reviews:**

RisingStarofDestiny: Yes the fox is Ning Xue.

runickenaz: Thank you so much for your comments

(Sin) : Thank you Sin.

bluestarryskies:D Thank you. I do try.

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**Author's Note: **

Sorry that this chapter took so insanely long to post. I was stuck for a very long time, not quite sure how to end this story. My crazy schedule at work didn't help one bit as well. Sorry.

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**Chapter 20: Mountain **

Lu Xun patted his mare gently; his eyes took in his surroundings. He had made his way to Poyong and stopped at the top of the cliff where he had fallen not many months ago. The strategist took one step closer to the edge and peeked below; his foot loosened some pebbles and the strategist watched them rolled off the edge, tumbling down the cliff. The cold winter winds blew past him, sending a chill down the officer's spine. Lu Xun could not help but shivered at the thought of him dying not too long ago. The horse snorted impatiently behind the strategist and caught his attention. Lu Xun smiled to himself and mounted the horse. "Even you are keen to meet Xue-er?" he mumbled and stroked the mare's hair.

An hour later, the strategist got off his horse and frowned at the sight of the terrain; the vegetation had thickened as he ascended up the mountain. The path had disappeared beneath the entwingling branches and dense bushes. He would have to make the rest of the way by foot. The officer removed his bundles from the horse and turned it towards the way they had come from, with a light slap on the mare's back, Lu Xun sent his ride away.

Turning back to the path, the strategist wrapped his bundle over his back and unsheathed his sabers and started hacking at the branches to open a pathway. It was hard work and it took the strategist a few hours to find a path again.

It had been a few months since the girl had led him down the winding mountain path. The strategist sighed as he gazed around for any familiar landmarks but found none to his dismay. The terrain looked unfamiliar and as the officer wandered around, he found himself facing the same spot where he had begun - Lu Xun was hopelessly lost. The strategist wiped his wet brow and rested his tired feet on a boulder. He gazed upwards at the orange sky and saw the sun setting; it would be dark soon and he would need to find shelter. The air in the mountain was cold and the strategist knew that the temperature would dip further without the sun's warmth.

His stomach growled, reminding him that it had been several hours since his last meal. Lu Xun frowned at his predicament and searched his supplies bag for some dry provisions. He was sick of eating the stale bread but that was better than starving. The officer broke a piece of the dry bread and stuffed it into his mouth and washed it down with a gulp from his water bottle. When he had finished the bread, Lu Xun got up and dusted the crumbs off his robe. Looking around, he picked a small path to the east and hoped that it would lead him somewhere familiar.

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The sun had set a few hours ago and the moon provided some solace for the tired officer as he gazed at the laminating crescent in the dark sky. The sky was clear tonight and the strategist was grateful that it was not raining as he sat out in the open with a small campfire burning. He had not been able to find shelter in the mountains, not that he had expected to. If only he could find Ning Xue; all that effort to tame the mountains would be worth it.

The strategist felt a tiny sting on one arm and the other hand was quick to slap the mosquito that was feeding on his blood. "So, it's a battle up here too." he mused aloud to himself, referring to his struggles against the blood-sucking insects that had tried to feast on him.

The tired officer stifled a yawn and spread a blanket on a patch of dry grass near the campfire. He laid on the blanket, still mesmerized at the beautiful moon and slowly his eyes faltered and he fell asleep finally from the sheer exhaustion.

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Lu Xun woke up to the sweet aroma of hot food; he rubbed the weariness off his eyes and glanced around, blinking several times to take in the simple and familiar decoration in the room. He looked down and saw himself wearing a light sleeping robe, a thick cotton blanket wrapped around his feet and a small flickering fire still burning in the fireplace, providing the room warmth. Slowly, realization dawned on him; he was in Ning Xue's hut, lying on the same couch he had when he was injured several months ago. He was going to see the girl at last.

The strategist scrambled to his feet, snatched his clothes from a nearby pile and quickly got dressed. He was out of the door in a few moments, searching the small hut for another sign of the girl. Simmering hot food was placed neatly on the table, a bowl of steaming hot rice and chopsticks were arranged neatly. Lu Xun opened the teapot and found it contained fragrant tea. His stomach growled at the sight of the inviting food. The strategist ignored his rumbling stomach, a slight frown appearing on his smooth face as he took in the sight - there was only one single rice bowl and a pair of chopsticks. The food was meant for him alone and he found himself sighing in slight frustration. The girl was avoiding him but the officer did not understand why.

He dashed out of the hut and searched the small garden and backyard. There was no sign of the girl anyway. He chastised himself for falling asleep and not waking up when someone moved him from his camp.

Lu Xun's sudden actions startled a fox nearby; it stopped digging at the earth and glanced up at the human. The strategist caught sight of the fox and tilted his head curiously. _A fox in Ning Xue's garden? I didn't know she has a pet._ As the animal did not scramble away at the sight of him; the Wu officer approached the vixen gently, taking care not to startle it. It seemed tame and allowed the strategist to stretch one hand and gently pet her. There was something about the way the animal looked at him that seemed familiar, but Lu Xun could not quite place the feeling. Realizing that the fox was very tame and not likely to attack the officer, Lu Xun let his eyes wandered around the surroundings, stroking the fox white fur absentmindedly.

The fox nuzzled at the strategist lovingly and settled besides the man. Lu Xun glanced down at the animal with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You're not afraid of me? You must be Ning Xue's pet... Strange, I didn't see you when I was here a few months ago."

The fox's reply was to stick its tongue and washed its paw. Lu Xun smiled at the sight.


	21. Chapter 21: The Mysteries

**Reviews:**

(Sin) : Yeah, I've been stuck with writing for several weeks. Thanks for your support. I finally got my muse together and wrote this chapter, all in a few hours' work. phew. Hopefully, it gives a good conclusion to all the openings in the story so far.

RisingStarOfDestiny : Yeah, so sorry for the delay. Gotta try hard for that inspiration and getting the flow into writing.

runickenaz: Thank you so much for the constructive review. I tried with the imaginary and metaphors, not sure if I find any success with it but here it is. ) I try to avoid the smilies though as I feel they don't seem to belong in a piece of a more formal writing but I stand to be corrected. Here's a longer chapter, more like my usual length. )

Chargone: Thank you so much for your support. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on the story. )

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**Author's Notes:**

Sorry, I took so long again but somehow I managed to find my muse and actually wrote this chapter in one go. phew In any case, the story is near the end. I have half a heart to let this story end like this because it does seems appropriate to. If you want a happy ending, it might not be as convincing (in my opinion) and it might drag on a couple more chapters. Anyways, if any of you want a happy ending, please feel free to share your thoughts. Thank you all for reviewing and reading this story.

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**Chapter 21: The Mysteries **

It's been a week since Lu Xun found himself in Ning Xue's hut in the remote mountains in Poyong. Every morning, when he got up and his breakfast would be ready waiting on the table and every evening, he would return from his searches to a table of piping hot dinner. In the day, Lu Xun searched the surrounding areas for the girl but he could not find her whereabouts. A few days ago, he had torn his robe while searching in the dense forest for the girl, but someone sew the hole on the same night and Lu Xun found the robe folded neatly on the table.

Despite his best efforts to stay awake every night, the strategist found himself falling asleep and he would always wake up miraculously on the couch. There was only one conclusion - Ning Xue must had returned during the night and carried him to the couch.

It was late at night and the strategist sat by the cottage doors, trying to understand the mystery of the missing girl. "Where are you, Xue-er?" he let out an exasperated sigh. She was avoiding him that was the most logical conclusion to the 'hide and seek' game they seemed to be playing.

A white fox walked past the strategist and paused for a moment, looking at him curiously. When the general looked up and watched the animal, it seemed to smile at him and continued on its path to its intended destination. Lu Xun did not understand why but he never for once thought that the fox would hurt him. Instead, he felt like it belonged to this place. He was most puzzled.

"How did Xue-er make me breakfast without waking me up? How did she carry me to the couch every night? Why is it that I always fall asleep even though I tried so hard to be awake?" There were so many questions in the general's mind and it was most appalling to him that he could not find the answers to the mysteries.

Then suddenly an idea came to him. He would pretend to fall asleep instead of trying to keep himself awake. Perhaps that was the key to solving the mysteries. The strategist took some of Ning Xue's needles and placed them strategically on the couch and lie down, taking care to place his arm just slightly near the needles. If he fell asleep, his arm would droop and the needles should pierce his arm and jolt him awake. That was his plan.

As the night deepened and the sounds of insects filled the night. Lu Xun felt his eyelids getting heavier and his senses dulled. Soon, his head began to nod and his arm slipped from his holding position. The needles pierced his arm and a few droplets of his blood dripped onto the cotton blanket. The general jolted awake and remembered his plan.

Outside his room, the strategist could hear someone walking lightly across the wooden ground. A female voice hummed a sad haunting tune. The general could make out sounds of someone sweeping the floor and tidying the furniture. It had to be Ning Xue.

The Wu officer tiptoed out towards the exit and opened a small gap in his room door and peeped out. His heart almost leaped out in excitement at what he saw. It was Ning Xue sweeping the floor. She wore a long flowing robe that covered her arms and legs. A single lock of white hair was distinctly visible amongst her long black hair. Lu Xun felt a deep pain in his heart at the sight of the white steak. Something terrible must have happened to the girl. It was the only acceptable reason why she avoided him.

Lu Xun opened the door suddenly and shouted her name. "Xue-er!"

The girl looked up in shock and dropped the broom she was holding. She stared at the man in surprise. In a brief moment, she regained from her shock and started to run towards the cottage door.

Lu Xun was faster, he was at the door in an instant, baring the way out of the cottage. "Xue-er, stop running from me!" He stretched one hand towards the girl and attempted to grab her hand.

Ning Xue backed away from the man and shook her head sadly. "Stay back, Xun."

The strategist could not believe his ears. "Xue-er, why? Don't you love me anymore?" He asked sadly, advancing towards the girl slowly.

The swordswoman continued to shake her head and tears ran down her face. She quickly pulled up the hood on her robe and covered her head. "You can't see me like this... I don't want you to see me like this, Xun." she sobbed into her hands.

"Xue-er. I don't care if your hair all turns white. I love you."

Ning Xue laughed bitterly at his remarks. "Xun. I understand now, why my grandma said not to get close to humans. I never realize it can hurt so much." She looked up and met his dark eyes. "It hurts so much to avoid you. It hurts so much to stay away from you."

Lu Xun nodded his understanding and closed the distance between them. "Xue-er. I'm hurting too. I don't ever want us to be apart again."

The girl raised one hand to halt his footsteps. "Don't come any closer. I'm... I'm no longer the Ning Xue you know."

It was then the strategist noticed the fine white hair on the girl's arm. It glistened under the glare of the candlelight. "Your arm..." he gasped.

Ning Xue covered her arm with her robe quickly. "Now you know. I'm not human. That's why we can never be together. Now you understand why I can no longer stay in Wu."

The Wu officer did not know what to say. He was too shocked and stood rooted to the ground. After a long moment, he regained his composure. "What... what are you?" he managed to stammer.

The girl smiled bitterly and looked away from her friend. "I'm the fox you see everyday outside the cottage." she replied quietly, in a voice filled with sadness. "I will never hurt you, Xun. You do not have to worry. The door is right there." She pointed at the cottage door. "I won't stop you if you want to run."

Lu Xun was at a loss; he heart hurt, a persistent dull pain stabbed at his heart and he found it difficult to breathe. Should he feel frightened? Fox spirits only exist in tales. There was no way he would meet one, let alone fell in love with one. He stood motionlessly for a long moment before denial hit him. "No, I don't believe you. If you no longer love me, say it to my face. Xue-er, please do not torment me any longer." The strategist ran to the girl and grabbed her arm tightly, pulling her to face him. "Say it to my face." he whispered harshly.

More tears flowed down the girl's ivory smooth face. Her eyes held an immense sadness as she looked at the man she loved. "I... I..." she tried, but the words would not come to her mouth. How could she lie about her feelings in the face of the man whom she loves? She shook her head fervently and removed her arm from the strategist's grip. "When I found you dying near the lake, I didn't want to save you, Xun. Grandma had warned me to stay away from humans but my conscience wouldn't let me leave you. I decided to bring you back to my cottage and nursed you back to health. When you asked me to join you, I couldn't say no. I wanted to learn and you were so nice to me. I wanted to help you."

She paused and took a few steps back from the general. "Then I started to want to be near you always. I wanted to protect you, to make you happy. Then Ling Tong told me about Love and I knew then, that I love you. It was my wishful hope to stay with you, for as long as I could. But you were so gravely wounded by Zhao Yun. I knew that you would die from the wounds and I could not let you die. I was the only one who can save you, Xun."

Ning Xue wiped her tears with her sleeve and sank down on a nearby chair. She let out a sigh and sniffed back the tears. "I sacrificed years of my cultivation for you. Because of the exertion, my hair turned white. Because of the sacrifice, I could no longer hold my human shape for long and my arms are covered with fox fur." She shook her head sadly. "We must part. We can no longer be together, Xun."

Tears flowed down his eyes. "No... Xue-er. You're lying right?" He pulled the girl from the seat roughly and embraced her. "No. I don't believe you. It's a lie." He held her tightly and one hand removed the hood off her head and his fingers intertwined in her tresses. "I don't care who or what are you. I want to be with you. I will not marry the princess or anyone else. No one can make me." Just as sudden, he broke the embrace and held her eyes with his gaze. "Marry me, Xueer." He said seriously.

Ning Xue shook her head again. "You are still in denial, Xun." she stroked his face gently and slowly slipped away from his grasp.

The girl stole a glance at the sky outside. The color of the night was fading away and dawn was approaching. With a sigh, she kissed the strategist on his cheek. "I have to go soon. Xun, for what its worth. I love you. I love you so much." she caressed his face again and kissed his soft lips one last time. She found him returning the kiss fervently; his arms encircled her and pulled her close to him. She could taste the tears on his lips and the longing of his love in his kiss.

The sky brightened gradually and Ning Xue broke the kiss reluctantly. "It is dawn. I cannot stay. Xun, return to Wu. You have a bright future there and a duty to Lord Sun Quan. There is nothing more here for you." She moved towards the door in a flash and opened the wooden doors. Taking a last look at the strategist, she blew him a kiss. "Go, my love. We... We will not meet again."

Lu Xun ran to the girl but he could only watch helplessly as she vanished into thin air under the light of dawn. "XUE-ER, I LOVE YOU..." he screamed into the air.


End file.
